36 Drabbles: RyoSaku
by Snowflake Flower
Summary: Post-manga. Snapshots of their lives together in Japan, starting at the third year of middle school and ending at post-graduation... or so you think. RyoSaku
1. Meeting or Encounter

**36 Drabbles**

**1: Meeting/Encounter**

It was completely unexpected. The words, the rhythm, the _song _just came to mind as she was staring at a picture of a boy with a bandage over his eye. As if something had took hold of her body, the paper lined with blue and red was steadily filled in by the lead of a simple pencil. Word upon word, stanza upon stanza decorated the once-blank page as her fingers nimbly wielded the pencil in expertise. She wrote late into the night, ignoring the yawns spewing forth and the drooping of her eyelids.

It was only until the red numbers on her digital clock flashed "1:03" did she finally lay down her pencil and drift to sleep in her bed, eyes closing and darkness overcoming her in mere seconds.

* * *

Ryuzaki Sakuno awoke blearily to the buzzing of her alarm clock on her night table. Reaching over to slap the "off" button, Sakuno moaned drowsily and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Unconsciously, she sought out her cute animal calendar hanging on the opposite side of her bed. One of the dates was circled in red marker, standing out against the whiteness of the rest of the page. It was only a moment later she realized what the circle represented.

Gasping, Sakuno checked the time (7:30am) and flew out of bed just as her grandmother – Ryuzaki Sumire – called from the first floor. In her panic, she didn't notice the paper on her desk fluttering to the floor as she dashed by.

"Sakuno! Your first day of third year isn't going to wait for you to get ready!"

* * *

Sighing, Sakuno made her way out of the tennis courts (her grandmother needed to be there, as coach and all) and towards the entrance of the school. "Mou, Tomo-chan's going to be so mad" she mumbled, bento box dangling from her clasped fingers. With the little time she had left to meet up with Osakada Tomoka, Sakuno could only make a couple onigiri (rice balls). Even then, she was still ten minutes past the meeting time. Tomoka was going to chew her out for ten minutes, knowing the loudmouth as well as she did.

Sakuno let out another sigh, her gaze on the floor never shifting. The bento box swept dangerously close to the floor, and Sakuno giggled as she was reminded of Kintarou-kun and… Her smile faded away, the loose grip on her handkerchief containing her bento tightening. Her chocolate brown bangs shadowed her caramel eyes, lips curving down in a frown or grimace.

"Ryoma-kun…"

"What?"

At first, Sakuno thought she was just hearing things, remembering the way he used to say her name with that nonchalance. But then she realized the voice, sounding painfully familiar, was deeper and huskier. It was the kind of voice a handsome bishounen in an anime might have, the kind where once he spoke the girls would swoon with hearts in their eyes. Tomoka would say a voice like that "oozed sex". It just sent shivers up Sakuno's spine.

But then Sakuno realized someone was standing in front of her, and her head shot up to apologize for blocking the person's way. Only, her voice died in her throat as caramel eyes met painstakingly recognizable golden ones. She couldn't speak at first, her eyes trailing over his _much taller _figure and matured face. His hair, black but looking dark green in the sun, was as messy as usual, covered by the trademark white Fila cap on his head. Slung over his shoulder was an old, worn blue tennis bag. Stitched on the side in red English letters was "Ryoma Echizen".

Mouth parting, eyes widening, and breath caught in her throat, Sakuno's fingers unwound, allowing the strips of the handkerchief to fall through her fingers. Ryoma, tennis racket in hand, caught the falling bento with the strings of his racket, lifting it to present it to her.

"You dropped this." He said, voice still unfeeling and monotone. Hands shaking lightly, Sakuno took the box off of his racket, looking down at the ground with tear-filled eyes. A little malicious voice in her head began to emerge, convincing her Ryoma didn't remember who she was, but that was normal since she was so invisible and not worth his time. The grip on her bento tightened, and Sakuno squeezed her eyes firmly to stop the tears from falling.

"T-thank you…" Sakuno whispered, stubbornly keeping her head ducked to avoid his piercing cat-like eyes. There was silence for a short moment, Sakuno hoping he would just hurry up and walk past her so she could regain her wits and make her way to meet Tomoka before ten minutes of scolding turned into fifteen. But Sakuno just stood there and waited, heart thumping loudly in her ears and body trembling harder with every passing moment.

"You made onigiri, right?"

Sakuno's head jolted up as Ryoma's voice flitted to her ears. His face was still emotionless, voice still monotone yet husky. The growing girl had to readjust her eyes, not used to the much taller tennis genius. Sakuno, a little confused but polite as always, nodded with a tiny flick of her head, braids shaking from the motion. Ryoma tapped his tennis racket on his shoulders, tilting his head to the side.

"Then I'll try them. I didn't get to last time." With a little nod to her and a light swing of his tennis racket (nowhere near Sakuno), Ryoma breezed past her, returning his tennis racket to his shoulder as a rest. Sakuno's entire body froze, replaying his words several times in her head.

'_I didn't get to last time…_'

A light, almost giddy feeling began to overwhelm her entire body. Doubt lingered, still spurred on by the malicious voice in her head, but that one sentence gave her so much hope, so much faith. Impulsively, Sakuno whirled around to see Ryoma's back, her Seigaku uniform flapping in the light wind and her braided pigtails flying behind her.

"_R-Ryoma-kun!_"

His head turned.

"T-that is…" Sakuno gulped, not knowing what to say next. She had called his name merely on a whim, the words she really wanted to say getting stuck in her throat. "The tennis club did really well last year! Kaidou-senpai and Momo-chan-senpai led the regulars really well, and we placed second in the Nationals." Her grip on her handkerchief tightened, hearing the malicious voice in her head comment smarmily on how Ryoma really needed to know something like that. Her head ducked down, tears brimming the corners of her eyes.

There was silence again, the stifling, suspenseful kind that had Sakuno holding her breath and hearing nothing but the loud thumping of her own heart. She willed the tears not to fall, hoping Ryoma didn't see them and think her a crybaby. In her head, she scolded herself for not gathering enough courage and saying something lame like that. Ryoma probably thought she was a weirdo with too-long hair. Her malicious voice agreed heartily.

"Hn. Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai, Kaidou-senpai." Sakuno's head rose to look at him, tears dotting her eyes. His were no longer turned to her, but instead turned to the blue sky above them, a few white clouds drifting by contentedly. There was a cocky smirk on his face, one so familiar to the shy girl that she began to smile too. "Only second place? Not bad, but I'll do better." Sakuno's eyes widened at that, and she stared at Ryoma as he turned his head back to the direction of the tennis courts.

"R-Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno whispered. A wide smile blossomed over her face, her heart filling with warmth and excitement. "So that was why grandmother didn't pick a new captain last year…" With a little giggle, Sakuno's cheeks flushed as she gazed (lovingly?) at the tennis prince, who began to walk away once again. For some reason, at that moment, the malicious voice in her head had disappeared, and the words she wanted to say were bursting from her throat without another thought.

"Ryoma-kun!" He turned to look at the girl who called his name a second time, standing happily behind him, bento box clutched in front of her and smile so sweet and beautiful, his cheeks flushed a faint pink.

"Welcome back!"

Echizen Ryoma blinked a little, but then a small smile made his lips twitch upwards. He didn't say a word, opting to turn his head around and wave his racket in the air to her, resuming his trek to the tennis courts with leisurely steps. Sakuno watched him disappear, the glowing smile on her face not leaving. She stood there for another second or two, before spinning around and making her way to Tomoka with a little skip in her step. As she walked to the entrance of the school, Sakuno began to hum a little tune.

The tune turned into a soft whisper, and the soft whisper soon evolved into a song.

_**Dear Prince  
~To The Princes~**_

_Dear Prince  
__Let's meet up  
__Dear Prince  
__We don't need a reason  
__Dear Prince  
__Try your best__  
Dear Prince  
__I love that place_

_Because I'll keep on watching you until you win_

_That morning__  
I woke up earlier than usual__  
And packed my bag excitedly__  
Even though I got the courage you sent,  
Those cheers have yet  
To reach me_

_It's the chance of a lifetime  
(Chance of a lifetime)  
__Even if you let it escape  
(Don't worry about it)  
It's not the end of the world  
Yeah, keep on moving_

_You take your place  
On the court like the transparent moon  
Unyielding and persevering  
In the approaching sun_  
"_All right, go for it!"  
Grab your racket  
Once you serve,  
The show will begin_

_Get ready  
Let's meet up  
Get ready  
We don't need a reason  
Get ready  
Try your best  
Get ready  
I love that place_

_Ready go!  
Let's join our hands  
Ready go!  
Because this is a present  
Ready go!  
To you, who never runs away  
Ready go!  
Go and make us proud_

_However the courage I sent to you, is only the first_

_Because the happy dreams  
You've sent me are as  
Numerous as stars_

_More than usual you say  
Persevere  
Persevere  
Persevere_

_Never give up even if there are times you lose_

_Now I've gotten double the courage you sent  
But that is still not enough_

_It's time to show your full strength__  
As I run flying across  
Two tears of regret track my face_

"_Just winning or losing isn't everything!"_

_Just who was it who said that?_

_Someday, everyone  
(In the course of time)  
Will say they mustn't give up on their own dream  
(My sweet dream)  
But I don't want to_

_Get ready  
For tomorrow  
Get ready  
Accept the risk  
Get ready  
Can you handle it?  
Get ready  
Even if it'll be  
Very tough_

_Ready go!  
The tennis ball  
Ready go!  
Grip it tightly  
Ready go!  
In the midst of pressure  
Ready go!  
Surpass your limits_

_Each time you collected a little of the courage I sent to you  
You began to make out a story in the future  
My friend_

_Dear Prince  
Let's meet up  
Dear Prince  
We don't need a reason  
Dear Prince  
Try your best  
Dear Prince  
I love that place_

_Ready go!  
Let's join our hands  
Ready go!  
Because this is a present  
Ready go!  
To you, who never runs away  
Ready go!  
Go and make us proud_

_Up till now I have gathered a lot of courage  
In this town full of blooming sakura  
I can give you a big smile_

_Thank you!_

_

* * *

A/N _Yes, the 36 challenges have started! I decided to challenge myself a bit, so my deadline for finishing this is December the 5th. (36 days, 36 drabbles. One drabble a day!) Knowing me, I won't make it, lol. But it never hurts to try!

My inspiration for this was Ryoma coming back to Japan (no duh), and the lyrics written by Konomi Takeshi in the song "Dear Prince", which was used in the last chapter of Prince of Tennis. (It's a nice song. =D) I figured Sakuno could write it, because who else would write a song titled "Dear Prince"? (Not Tomoka. She doesn't seem like the artistic type.)

Anyways, I hope you guys liked it, and please leave a review! Thanks!

Snowflake Flower


	2. Practice

**36 Drabbles**

**2: Practice**

"_Dear Prince, let's meet up. Dear prince, we don't need a reason. Dear Prince, try your best. Dear Prince, I love that place!_"

Ryuzaki Sakuno's head was ducked down, cheeks burning as she scurried past the trio of singing boys. Her grandmother had found the page where she wrote the lyrics of her song, and Tomoka heard her sing it multiple times. Together, the both of them taught it to the tennis club, and now it unofficially became their theme song. Horio was always singing it, and he sang it especially loud when Sakuno was nearby. Even worse, Katsuo and Kachirou followed his lead and sang with him, the three of them getting others to join in until Sakuno couldn't hear herself think anymore.

Ah, Horio, Katsuo and Kachirou… Two years ago, they would've been called the Freshman Three (since they all seemed to be glued by the hip), but many other names have long since replaced that title ("Double Trouble", and "Four Years"). Kaidoh-senpai and Momo-chan-senpai did a good job in shaping them up for the new captain.

The new captain… Echizen Ryoma. Tennis genius, international professional tennis star, third year at Seishun Gakuen, heartthrob of the school, pillar of Seigaku, and keeper of her heart.

Now the blush staining her cheeks was for a totally different reason. It had been a month since Sakuno first bumped into him; a month since he started eating her lunches. An entire month of just him and her, the roof, and a boxed lunch. So it was a surprise when Ryoma told her to meet him under the sakura tree near the tennis courts for lunch. That area was always crowded with students (Sakuno would know; she ate there with Tomo and the Senior Three in junior year), and Ryoma hated overpopulated places. It was very confusing.

Sakuno's pace hurried as she saw the falling pink petals. A few girls turned to glare at her (being Ryoma's personal chef had downsides), most of them third years and second years, some of them first years. Sakuno ignored them, clutching two bento boxes and finally arriving where Ryoma lay lounging under the sakura tree. (There was a wide berth of space between him and the other students.) A faint blush still painted her cheeks as she lowered herself to sit beside him. People began to whisper as Ryoma sat up, reaching for the second lunch box. He was acting as if they were still on the roof, tossing bits of the onigiri into his mouth. Sakuno just hoped he wouldn't do _that_.

"Sakuno-chan! **_RYOMA-SAMA!!_**"

A wave of relief crashed over Sakuno, and she turned to greet her best friend. Behind the loudmouthed girl were Horio, Katsuo, and Kachirou. Ryoma just gave them all uninterested glances, before going back to his lunch. Tomoka took a seat beside Sakuno, and Horio beside Ryoma. Katsuo and Kachirou filled the remaining spaces, forming a circle. The five of them launched into a loud, boisterous conversation, drowning out the sound of the whispers.

"Horio-baka! You made me drop my bread!" Tomoka screeched, waving the dirt-covered bun in the third years face. Horio, furious she was blaming him for something he _obviously _didn't do, began to shout back with the reasoning of "I have four years of tennis experience!" Sakuno giggled, finally getting comfortable despite the glares she was getting. She could still feel them boring holes in her back, but the sight her friends made was too distracting to _really _notice them. That is… until Ryoma entered the picture.

Before, he was much to preoccupied with eating Sakuno's homemade lunch that he took no part in the ridiculous display of idiocy before him. He just nonchalantly sat back, shoving clumps of rice and egg into his mouth to fill his tummy. But soon he found he was done, and finished swallowing before quietly packing away the bento. Not caring, or maybe not noticing the stares he was getting, Ryoma lifted Sakuno's bento away from her, which was currently sitting on her lap, placing it on one side of her. Sakuno blinked, a bright red blush appearing over her cheeks as Ryoma sat down in front of her, interrupting the fight between Horio and Tomoka, and laying his hat-free head on Sakuno's lap, plopping his Fila cap over his face to catch some shut-eye. Sakuno was only able to sit there, frozen as Ryoma napped on the ground using her as a pillow.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno whispered fiercely, feeling the furious waves of emotion from the glaring fangirls. "I-isn't it better to do that when we're alone?" She asked him, hoping he'd get the hint and _get off her lap _so she wouldn't be mauled to death by crazy fangirls. Ryoma lifted his cap a little, giving her a cocky smirk. He sat up, Sakuno sighing in relief as he did. But then he got really, _really _close to her. So close, she could feel his breath on her face and see nothing but the gold in his eyes, filled with naught but confidence.

"But that was just practice." He whispered back, just to mock her. Sakuno's eyes grew very wide, and she was a little confused by his statement. He knew, because a cute "huh?" sounded from her pink lips. If possible, Ryoma's cocky smirk became even more cocky and predatory. "_Practice_, Ryuzaki" he said, emphasizing the 'practice'. "Practice so you won't get all nervous when I use your lap as a pillow for lunch." Though he was explaining it to her, Sakuno still didn't get it.

"But, Ryoma-kun, I don't get nervous if you use my lap as a pillow. It's only… in front of so many _people_…" She trailed off, biting her bottom lip in the cutest way. Ryoma chuckled, and Sakuno was suddenly nervous at his mischievous expression.

"That's what the practice was _for_, Ryuzaki." And without another word, Ryoma turned around and laid his head back on her lap, covering his face with his Fila cap and drifting to a light nap. Tomoka, Horio, Katsuo, and Kachirou saw the affect Ryoma's words had on the shy girl. Her entire face was blushing, extending even to her ears. Tomoka tried to give her some water to cool her down, but the girl was unresponsive.

'_Practice…Mou, Ryoma-kun!_' Sakuno thought, puffing her cheeks out and glaring at the Fila logo on the white cap. She never knew that what he really meant was practice for the future, when he would come home from a long day of training or a big match and lay down on her lap on the couch, relaxing in his her presence and drifting to sleep as she combed her delicate fingers through his messy hair. Practice, for when she became pregnant and during her early months he lay on her lap to put his ear and hands on her stomach, trying to feel a reaction from the baby.

Practice… for the rest of their life together.

_

* * *

A/N _And the second chapter is out! It's a little shorter than the first chapter, but these _are _supposed to be drabbles. Well, two finished, thirty-four more to go!

My inspiration for this chapter was varied. At first, I wanted to do a "kissing practice" theme, but I found that cliched and overused (no offense to anyone who wrote a fic like that!) I wanted to do something different, so I started to think about other things that could be incorporated in the theme "practice". Napping on her lap seemed like a good idea, because I could see Ryoma doing that (he's very cat-like, so he probably naps a lot). The last part about the future kinda came to me as I was trying to find a way to finish it off, lol.

Anyways, please enjoy and tell me what you think!

Snowflake Flower


	3. Good Morning

**36 Drabbles**

**3: Good Morning**

When Ryuzaki Sakuno had closed the front door of her house, she was surprised to see Echizen Ryoma standing on the sidewalk in front of her, looking ready for tennis practice. His golden eyes were gazing up at the blue morning sky, white Fila cap obscuring the view of his eyes somewhat. His blue tennis bag was swung over his shoulder, and when the sound of the door closed behind Sakuno, Ryoma turned to look at her.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed, before remembering her manners and bowing. "Good morning!" When she straightened up again, waiting for the reciprocal greeting but not getting it, Ryoma was still staring at her with those apathetic eyes. He then turned and began to walk away, and Sakuno was very confused, watching him make his way to the school. After a couple seconds of not hearing a set of footsteps beside his own, Ryoma turned back to raise a brow at Sakuno.

She blinked, before realization overcame her and she gasped, hurriedly locking the gate and jogging after him. When she caught up, Ryoma turned and kept walking, ever mindful of the girl at his heels. Sakuno tried hard to keep up with his quick pace, her school bag bumping against her legs.

As they reached Seigaku, Ryoma was about to head off to the tennis courts when he turned to address Sakuno.

"Ne, get up earlier tomorrow, else Coach is going to bite my head off for being late." Ryoma said, not giving her a chance to respond and walking off. Sakuno stood there for a little as he walked away, her mouth parted a bit in surprise. As only his back was displayed to her, Sakuno couldn't see the little smirk painted on Ryoma's face as he turned the corner.

* * *

Hair braided neatly in two pigtails, uniform pristine white and ironed to perfection, shoes polished to a bright shine, homework finished and packed away into her school bag, Sakuno could only gulp as she stared at the inside of her front door. Her grandmother, Ryuzaki Sumire, had left about ten minutes ago, unaware of the unspoken agreement that Sakuno had with the boy who most likely was standing on the other side of this door.

It had been a few days since Ryoma demanded her company in the early mornings. Their routine was very normal. When Sakuno left the house on school days, Ryoma would be waiting for her on the sidewalk, sometimes with a ponta can or carton of milk in hand. She would lock the door and close the gate as she left the front yard, and greet him with a simple, "good morning Ryoma-kun". He would just look at her as if she was part of the background, turn and walk away, expecting her to follow him.

With a deep breath as she heard her key chain watch beep to signal it was time for her to leave, Sakuno twisted the doorknob and pushed, letting a few of the sun's light shine into her house. Squinting her eyes, Sakuno stepped out of her house and closed the door behind her, locking it with a quick twist of her key. Turning around, she saw Ryoma standing there on the sidewalk, head tilted to the sky as he waited for her. Clearing her throat quietly, Sakuno inched her way out of her front yard, pushing the gate closed behind her and coming to stand beside Ryoma.

"Good morning Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said politely, watching Ryoma's head turn to look at her. His gaze was, once again, apathetic as he took in the view of her clean appearance. With a little nod to acknowledge her greeting, Ryoma turned to walk away in the direction of the school, leaving Sakuno standing there with a surprised look. In all the previous greetings, Ryoma had never reciprocated them, instead just choosing to turn a cold shoulder and walk off.

"Ryuzaki." Sakuno heard Ryoma's voice call from a few metres ahead of her. Jolting up, Sakuno shook off her shock and jogged up a little to meet Ryoma's questioning gaze. With a little smile and a wave of her hand to show she was okay, the two once again began their daily trek to school.

* * *

"Ahh!" Sakuno exclaimed, balancing her school bag on one arm while tying a loose braid with both hands and trying to shove her feet into her school shoes (which she could never do without the assistance of her hands). The taste of toothpaste was still stuck in her mouth, a taste that Sakuno dearly hated. Bending over to her breakfast (some bread that she took out of the pantry), she grabbed the top of it with her mouth just as she successfully finished braiding her hair (though a few strands still stuck out stubbornly).

'_Stupid, stupid alarm clock!_' Sakuno cursed in her head. The idiotic piece of technology didn't ring even when she turned the alarm on. Sakuno supposed it was broken or malfunctioned, which meant she needed to go out and buy a new one. Filing that away into her head, Sakuno's right hand reached for the doorknob, pushing the door open as her other hand tried to get her feet fully into her shoes. During this little escapade, Ryoma was watching curiously from outside of her house. When Sakuno came stumbling out, falling flat on her face from trying to get her feet in her shoes, a stifled choke came from Ryoma's mouth.

"A-ah! Good morning Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno panted, her cheeks blushing bright red as she got up and bowed in embarrassment and greeting. '_How embarrassing!_' she thought, afraid to look up. But something made her head lift, mostly in surprise.

"Hn."

A bright smile spread over Sakuno's face, realizing Ryoma had made a sound to her daily morning greeting! It was sort of to hide his amusement at her fall, but it was an improvement! With a little smile of triumph, Sakuno closed the gate and jogged up to Ryoma, falling in step behind him as they walked together to school for the umpteenth time.

'_Next time, I'll make him say "good morning"!_'

* * *

Sakuno groaned frustratingly, slamming her forehead onto the wooden desk in front of her. There were scribbles and scratches all over the page, most of them ideas on how to get Ryoma to go from "hn" to "good morning". She had already tried several of them, not a single one working. A little make-up just got her a weird look, wearing her skirt up a little higher just caused her embarrassment for the rest of the school day, and showing a little cleavage made her self-conscious and unable to function properly. Sakuno mildly contemplated chopping off her hair to make it short (he _was _always saying her hair is too long).

With a groan, Sakuno stared grudgingly at the paper, trying to come up with new ideas. She never noticed the clock flash "1:00", and her head lolling off onto the desk as she succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

"Kyaaa!" Sakuno screamed, throwing on her school uniform as a toothbrush stuck out of her mouth and she was balancing on a foot trying to get her socks on. Since she stayed up late the night before, Sakuno forgot to turn the alarm on and Ryoma was going to be here in ten minutes! It was a good thing she'd taken to making her lunches the night before and refrigerating them for fast pick-up. It saved her tons of time, and loads of sleep.

Sakuno successfully tied the buttons of her uniform shirt, leaving her sock half-on and dashing to the washroom to spit the toothpaste out of her mouth. Once her mouth tasted minty-fresh and toothpaste-like (yuck), Sakuno shoved the rest of her sock on her foot and clambered down the stairs like an uncoordinated elephant. She grabbed the bento's from the fridge and stuffed all her homework into her school bag. Quickly grabbing her keys, Sakuno shoved her feet into her shoes (with the help of her free hand) and bolted out the door. Ryoma's head turned to look at her, panting and dishevelled before him. Sakuno jogged closer, the gate closing with a clang.

"G-good morning Ryoma-kun." Sakuno panted ruffling her hair in embarrassment. Ryoma gave her an unidentifiable look, saying what he needed to and then turning around to begin walking to Seigaku.

"Morning."

The bento's and her bag dropped to the ground with a 'thump'.

"Ryuzaki?"

Ryoma turned, wondering why the girl was making so much noise in the morning. He saw her standing behind him, mouth parted in shock and eyes glazed in a weird trance. She started to mutter things under her breath, completely unintelligible to him. He waved a hand in front of her face, eyebrow rising.

"Ryuzaki!" He exclaimed, snapping her out of her strange daze.

"Oh! Sorry, Ryoma-kun. L-let's go!" Sakuno said, smiling reassuringly at him. Ryoma shrugged, turning back to walk towards the school. He didn't see Sakuno doing a silent victory dance behind him, her loose hair flying all over the place as she twirled in one spot. She stopped abruptly when Ryoma turned back to look at her.

"Oh, Ryuzaki? I like you better with your braids." Ryoma muttered, so soft Sakuno almost didn't hear. He turned and walked away before she could react, but when she did it was all blushes and mouth opening like a fish. Shaking out of her dumbfounded state, Sakuno picked up her things and jogged to catch up to him, trailing behind him as always. Her mind kept replaying his words, a big smile lighting up on her face despite her not wanting it to be there.

Sakuno would never know, though, that Ryoma had lied to her that day. He _was _attracted to girls with braids, and he thought Sakuno looked… looked _cute_ (he can't believe he just thought that word) with them. But when she had walked out of her house that day, hair long and loose and _flowing_, Ryoma decided right then and there no man would ever lay eyes on her beautiful unbound chocolate strands. Because Ryoma thought Sakuno was the most beautiful when her hair was free from constraint, free for him to run his fingers through in the morning when she was still slumbering peacefully. Free for him to smell after one of her lengthy baths, free for him to bury his face in when he faded to sleep after a night of making love.

Free just for _him_.

_

* * *

A/N _And the third one is out! Technically, since its 1:47 as I write this, I didn't submit anything for Halloween, but oh well! Please look forward to the next drabble later on in the day (if I can finish it in time, lol)

My inspiration for this chapter was, at first, a future fic of Ryoma waking up to Sakuno's voice. But then I remembered I wanted to do this in some sort of order, instead of random drabbles. So I thought, well maybe it could be a sort of "development" drabble, where Sakuno greets Ryoma consistently until he replies back. I started writing it in 4th period, but then I looked it over in 5th period and scrapped it XD. So when I came home, I wrote it in a different way, and I have to admit I like this way better.

Well, I hope you like this. Please review!

Snowflake Flower


	4. Bye Bye

**36 Drabbles**

**4: Bye Bye**

If someone ever asked another person to describe Ryuzaki Sakuno in one word, each and every one of them would answer with "selfless".

"Ryuzaki-san, can I borrow a pen?" A student in her class asked her, a nice smile on his face. Sakuno recognized the person who kept asking her for writing utensils because he never returned any of the pens she gave him. With a slightly strained smile, Sakuno looked to the pen she was holding in her hand. It was her last one, and the teenager sighed as she told herself she needed to go shopping for more.

"S-sure." Sakuno answered, reaching her hand out to give it to him. Another hand caught her wrist though, stopping her from dropping the pen into her classmate's palm.

"Borrow mine." Echizen Ryoma said, eyes narrowed in a glare as he stared his classmate down. He flicked the pen at the other student's head, where it smacked into his forehead and dropped into his waiting hands. The boy gulped, staring with wide eyes at the captain of Seigaku's tennis team.

"T-thanks!" The boy exclaimed, before dashing off to join his friends on the other side of the classroom. Ryoma watched him leave; glare never lessening until Sakuno made a noise of discomfort. Like a hot iron just touched his skin, Ryoma dropped Sakuno's wrist from his hold and shifted to stare directly at her. She flinched, hating it when he looked at her so unnervingly like that.

"Let's go." Ryoma said gruffly, not waiting for an answer and stepping out of the classroom. With a nod that he missed, Sakuno grabbed the bento boxes from beside her and rushed out the classroom, hot on Ryoma's heels. They were headed for their normal lunchtime spot; the roof.

* * *

When the two of them arrived there, a quick scour of the area told Ryoma they would be alone. Sometimes, when the both of them got up here, there would already be clumps of students occupying the area. It usually only took a single glare for them to pack their lunches and go running back into the school, but Ryoma was not in a mood to be scaring off annoying schoolmates, so he was relieved when he found the rooftop empty.

Shuffling over to the side a bit, Ryoma plopped down on the ground and leaned against the wall, watching Sakuno settle herself down beside him and begin unpacking the lunches. She worked quietly and efficiently, having done this for quite a long time (two and a half months, to be exact). Sakuno shivered a bit, imagining winter was coming soon and they wouldn't be able to eat lunch up on the roof for a while. Telling herself not to dwell, Sakuno handed Ryoma his bento and began to eat her own.

Ryoma, shoving clusters of rice into his mouth, kept glancing at Sakuno from the corners of his eyes, though the shy girl didn't see. He finished with his lunch fairly quickly; even quicker than he usually did. Packing away the bento and sliding it towards her, Ryoma was able to get Sakuno's attention and leaned back against the wall. She paused in her lunch, storing the empty bento away in her bag before finishing off her own lunch as well.

Ryoma waited for her to clear off the crumbs of her lunch, before turning around and laying his head on her lap. His cap was somewhere in his locker today, so Ryoma was able to enjoy the feeling of Sakuno's fingers combing his dark hair. They both were silent for some time, just enjoying the atmosphere and presence of the other. A light smile danced at Sakuno's lips as she watched the prince of tennis nap.

The last few months had been nothing but bliss, Sakuno couldn't help but think. In their time together, the two had only grown closer as friends (and possibly something more, Sakuno hoped). She knew, for a fact that her feelings grew from simply "like" to possibly love. It was hard to say, given she was only a third year in middle school and they had only really become close for the past two and a half months. Nevertheless, Sakuno could only bask in this moment and imagine a future with Ryoma by her side.

Until Ryoma let it all come crashing down.

"I'm going back to America."

* * *

"Sakuno…" Ryuzaki Sumire murmured, her arm around her granddaughter's shoulders as they stood in the airport terminal. Ryoma's father wanted to go back to the U.S so Ryoma's reputation as a tennis star could grow. He already hired a tennis manager for his young son, and that manager already arranged exhibition matches for the prodigy to participate in. He had also already asked a few companies to sponsor the young tennis star, and signed Ryoma up to promote athletic sportswear (like Fila) and beverage companies (like ponta).

In short, Ryoma was going to be the next international superstar.

"This is good for him." Sakuno repeated to herself, taking a deep breath to quell the tears. "Ryoma can learn more in his travels while he works. He can bring pride to Japan, and become the most famous person in the entire world! I'm happy for him." '_But _**_I'm _**_completely miserable_**_._**' Sakuno kept that thought to herself, thinking of all the publicity Japan will get from Ryoma's popularity. At this point, her feelings didn't matter.

"Yo."

Sakuno smiled (a strained, happy smile) as Ryoma came near. He was dressed casually, in shorts and a sweater with his trademark Fila cap on his head. A tennis racket was in one hand, probably because Ryoma just came from rallying a ball against a wall outside the airport. Sumire put on a smirk, clapping the young boy on the shoulder.

"I'm proud of you Ryoma." Sumire said. With a small side-glance to Sakuno, Ryoma's tennis coach breezed past the two teenagers to go talk to Ryoma's father, Echizen Nanjiroh. Ryoma watched her go, before he turned his gaze to the younger Ryuzaki. Her head was down, looking at the ground in an expression he was unable to identify.

"G-good luck, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said, smiling at him. Her fingers twisted each other painfully from behind her back. "I know you'll do great." Ryoma stared at her for a long while, his golden eyes unreadable from beneath his tennis cap. Behind him, you could hear the sobs spewing from Horio's mouth, and Tomoka's shrieks of "RYOMA-SAMA!!"

Ryoma was going to say something, his mouth opening, but the announcer cut him off.

"All passengers boarding the plane for the United States of America, please begin heading to customs. I repeat, all passengers boarding the plane for the United States of America, please begin heading to customs."

Nanjiroh leaped over, grabbing Ryoma by the neck with his arm. "Come on boy, or we'll miss our flight!" There was a gleeful look in his face, completely opposite of the scowl ripping over Ryoma's. "See ya later, old hag, cute Sakuno! Don't forget to watch us on international television!!" And without giving his son any chance to speak, whisked him away until he was nothing but a speck in the distance.

"And there they go." Sumire sighed, turning to address her granddaughter. "Ne, Sakuno? Sakuno?!" She exclaimed, seeing a tear trail slowly down the young girl's pale cheek. There was a smile, a happy, strained smile, breaking over her face.

"_Bye bye_, Ryoma-kun."

* * *

The next morning, when Sakuno left home later than she usually did, there was nothing more surprising than seeing Ryoma standing on the sidewalk outside her house, a big scowl on his face.

"Ryuzaki!" He barked. "Coach is going to chew my head out cause we're late!"

"R-Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno whispered, her braids flying behind her as she ran past the gate and into his arms. "Ryoma-kun!" The tennis prodigy was blushing faintly as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"My baka oyaji was playing a joke on me." Ryoma muttered. "He wants me to finish school in Japan first, before he skirts me around all over the world." Sakuno didn't even hear him, so much relief clouding her system she couldn't think straight, only knowing that he was here and not somewhere else she couldn't reach him. Hugging him tighter, Sakuno could only cry tears of joy.

"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno started, calming herself and backing away to smile happily in his eyes. Ryoma's heart fluttered a little, seeing the droplets littering the corners of her eyes and the way her lips were curved into a beautiful smile.

"Welcome home."

_

* * *

A/N _And here's the fourth one! It took a lot less time than any of the other ones, but I had a little more trouble writing it. (sweatdrop)

The inspiration for this chapter was also kind of varied. I didn't want to do a standard "bye bye" theme, like Ryoma and Sakuno leaving school and saying goodbye to each other. I thought maybe if Ryoma had to go back to America, it would be more "bye bye" like. The reason Sakuno's so torn up about this in this theme (cause when Ryoma had to go to America before, Sakuno wasn't so broken) is because they've grown closer and Sakuno's feelings are growing stronger for him. At least, that's my logic behind it, lol.

Please review; I'd like feedback!

Snowflake Flower


	5. Cheering

**36 Drabbles**

**5: Cheering**

"We're totally going to win the tournament!" Ryuzaki Sakuno heard someone from the tennis club exclaim as she walked past them to the flights of stairs leading to the rooftop where the tennis prince would undoubtedly be napping. A little smile curved the corners of her lips upwards as she began to ascend the stairs, thinking about the finals tomorrow. The public was watching Seigaku closely now, since Echizen Ryoma was the tennis captain. The matches tomorrow would be swarmed with paparazzi; that Sakuno knew for sure. Thankfully, they got a special section to themselves that wouldn't interfere with spectators.

Sakuno sighed, climbing up the stairs while she clutched the bento. The match started in the morning, broke for lunch, and then continued after about an hour to eat. Ryoma was probably expecting her to prepare a bento box for him again, and she was trying to think of things that wouldn't upset his stomach. He was going to be the last person to play (if they even got that far). In addition to that, Tomoka had already assembled her "Ryoma-sama Fanclub" to wear those ridiculously short cheerleader uniforms. Sakuno was a bit relieved she didn't have to wear them again (it was embarrassing the first time!).

"Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno spoke as she opened the roof door. She looked around, finally spotting him behind the door, napping as usual. One of his eyes opened as she said his name, and she smiled in greeting at him. Just as she did everyday, Sakuno unpacked their bento's and handed one to him, eating her own. But something was a little different today, because Ryoma paused in eating his bento and turned to look at her.

"Ryuzaki." He said, making her head jolt up.

"Y-yes?" Sakuno replied, a little worried something was wrong with his bento and he didn't like it.

"You're always at all my matches, right?" He asked, eyes blank as usual. Sakuno tilted her head a bit, nodding.

"Yes, I am. I always come with Tomo-chan." Sakuno was a little confused as his gaze twisted to look at his lunch. Ryoma didn't say anything for a while, so Sakuno thought that was it. She turned back to her lunch again.

"How come I don't hear you?" He said suddenly, making her blink and look up again.

"Huh?" His gaze turned to her, golden eyes more intense than usual and sending shivers up her spine.

"Cheering." He said. "How come I can't hear you cheering?"

A brilliant blush spread all over Sakuno's face, and she looked down to her bento in embarrassment. Sakuno did cheer for him, but unlike Tomoka's loud belts of "GANBATTE RYOMA-SAMA", Sakuno cheered for him silently, in her heart. She would clasp her hands together and pray he would win, as if he wasn't a tennis prodigy and didn't go to America to participate in an international tournament.

"W-well, I figured Ryoma-kun has so many people cheering for him that I don't need to." Sakuno said, trying to cover up the shameful truth. Ryoma would just look down on her for even _thinking _about doubting him when it came to tennis. "A-and Ryoma-kun is so good in tennis anyways, he doesn't need me to cheer him on! Ryoma-kun will always win!"

He was silent for a long time after that.

* * *

"Mou, Tomo-chan!!" Sakuno exclaimed, cheeks puffed out as the phone was pressed against the side of her face.

"Just because you aren't in the fanclub doesn't mean I won't make you wear something cheerleader-like!" Tomoka said from the other line, sounding mischievous.

When Sakuno had opened her closet that morning, all of her clothes were _gone_! In their place was a short, light blue jean skirt (a _really _short, light blue jean skirt), and a slinky pink tank top like the one Tomoka made her wear before, only tighter against her figure and showing all her right curves. What's worse? When she raised her arms, the top would ride higher! She had to be careful, or else she might end up showing a _little _too much skin.

"Did you have to take my _bras _too?!" Sakuno screamed into the phone, her blush spreading to her neck as she heard Tomoka guffaw from the other end. "This is really mean Tomo-chan!" The other girl had to finish laughing before she answered.

"Sakuno, why don't you just wear your night clothes or something?" Tomoka asked, knowing full well the answer to that.

"Because I sleep in my _underwear_! Mou, Tomo-chan!!" Flopping onto her bed, Sakuno really felt like sometimes Tomoka went a _bit too far_ in her games. There was more snickering on the other end, until Tomoka's sincere voice reached her.

"Look, Sakuno-chan, I'm really sorry. But sometimes you need a shove in the right direction! If you want Ryoma-sama to fall for you, you need to appeal to him. Wearing all those modest clothes will get you nowhere. Ryoma-sama is a man now! He needs a woman to satisfy him!" Sakuno squeaked in mortification, sitting up with a blush.

"_Tomo-chan_!" Sakuno exclaimed, hearing Tomoka giggle on the other end.

"Oh, gotta go now Sakuno-chan! The match starts in a half an hour." Without waiting for a response, Tomoka hung up on her shy best friend. Sakuno stared at the phone, wondering if she heard her friend right. A quick glance at the clock told her she was.

"Only thirty minutes!?" And without a second thought, she grabbed the only clothes in her closet and dashed to the bathroom.

* * *

"Sakuno-chan! You made it!" Tomoka exclaimed, dressed in a short skirt and top while her identically dressed fanclub members twittered excitedly behind her. There was a bright smile on her face, despite the fact Sakuno was pouting at her.

"I'm still mad at you Tomo-chan." Sakuno muttered loud enough for her friend to hear, tugging her jean skirt down in discomfort. The fact that she didn't think about what shoes to wear, slipping on a pair of ballet flats, didn't help. The shy girl couldn't help but notice all the stares she was getting, especially at her toned legs and the little cleavage revealed by her top. "Where's Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked, holding onto a bento box. She had missed the morning matches because she had just remembered to make lunch for Ryoma. '_He's probably really hungry…_'

"Over there, with the senpai!" Tomoka said excitedly, twisting her body in the direction of a crowd of very tall people. Immediately, Sakuno could pick out Ryoma and his Fila cap. But surrounding him was Kikumaru, Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Kawamura, Tezuka, Inui, Fuji, and Oishi. None of them had changed in the slightest, all of them dressed casually for the tournament (it _was _a Saturday, after all).

"Oh…" Sakuno murmured, thinking she probably shouldn't disturb them. That theory crashed to the ground when Ryoma noticed her and waved her over. A little hesitant, Sakuno only did so when Tomoka pushed her, giggling manically.

"About time, Ryuzaki." Ryoma told her, catching the attention of his senpai as Sakuno neared the group. She was blushing brightly; clutching the bento box like it was going to help her get through this. Kikumaru was the first to notice her, and he immediately pounced the embarrassed girl.

"Nya~! Ryuzaki-chan, is it really you?" He asked, a cute smile forming on his face. "Uwaa, you look so pretty now!" He exclaimed, picking her up and swinging her around. Sakuno, her eyes being replaced with swirls to show she was dizzy, responded in a slightly less enthusiastic voice.

"H-hello Kikumaru-senpai. It's nice to see you too." She answered, finally being put down by the older redhead. She was then suddenly tugged away by Ryoma, her back hitting his chest as he glared at his senpai. She squeaked a little, not used to be jostled around so much. It was a lot more uncomfortable too, since she was wearing practically _nothing_.

"Ne, Ryuzaki, let's go." Ryoma said, ponta in hand as he walked over to the grassy area near the tennis courts. Still blushing a little, Sakuno followed him obediently, that is until the announcer cut her off in mid-step.

"All tennis players report back to their assigned court. Lunch is now over; thank you." The person on the megaphone said, and Sakuno's widened eyes swivelled to look at Ryoma, poker face still on. He looked uninterested, unaffected. Without another word, Ryoma crushed the ponta can in his hand and threw it in the garbage, walking off to the tennis court where his team was waiting for him. He was stopped when Sakuno grabbed his regular jacket.

"R-Ryoma-kun! You haven't eaten yet!" Sakuno said, panic growing in her chest. He turned to look at her from underneath his cap, golden eyes piercing into her frightened caramel ones. With gentleness surprising her, Ryoma pried her fingers off of his jacket, walking away to join his team.

"Sakuno-chan…" Tomoka said, coming up to touch her on the shoulder. She was promptly brushed off when Sakuno jogged to the green fence surrounding the tennis court, hooking her fingers in the diamond holes and watching as Ryoma grabbed his red tennis racket, making his way onto the court. Tomoka, lips pursed, threw her pompom-filled hands in the air and cheered. "GANBATTE RYOMA-SAMA!!"

"RYOMA-SAMA GANBATTE!!" Her fanclub members screamed, following behind their leader. Sakuno just stayed silent, gripping the wired fence tighter until they made red marks in her skin.

* * *

"Ryoma-sama, why?" Tomoka whispered, her members all gasping and downhearted as another ball whizzed past the tennis pro. Some of the photographers and journalists were whispering among themselves, wondering the prodigy was having a bad day or if he wasn't really a genius and just pretending to have this astounding talent in tennis. A few got up and left, too frustrated as the score rapidly kept increasing in the other team's favour.

"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno murmured to herself, her bento box lying forgotten beside her. "Is it because you didn't eat?" Guilt stabbed furiously at her, and Sakuno cursed herself for not remembering to make his lunch and getting there on time. She watched ball after ball pass by him quickly, and how easily he gave up trying to chase after one. It wasn't long until the score read four games to one.

"Echizen, what are you doing?" Momoshiro said from beside Sakuno, who looked sharply at his glaring face. A shiver went up her spine, and she turned back to watch Ryoma. The referee called for a court change, and Sakuno could see the other team captain smirking as he passed Ryoma. But Ryoma wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, Ryoma was looking directly at Sakuno, his golden eyes intense like they were on the roof.

'_Ryoma-kun couldn't want me to-,_' She blushed horribly.

Oh, but he did. After the court change and the match restarted, Ryoma kept missing shots because he was sending her glances from the corner of his eye. It got to the point where the score read _five _games to one, that Sakuno couldn't take anymore. She couldn't take the weeping of the fangirls behind her, nor the furious whispers of her senpai beside her. Eyes squeezing shut, fists clenching, Sakuno shouted at the top of her lungs.

"_SEIGAKU_!!!"

Frightening everyone around her, and getting the attention of the players on the court, not to mention the reporters, Sakuno spun around and grabbed the pompoms out of Tomoka's hands, waving them in the air exactly like she did two years ago, when Ryoma and herself were still first years in Seishun Gakuen.

"S. E. I. G. A. K. U can say! Yay Seigaku! Hey Seigaku, let's go!" Tomoka's face lit up, and she joined in without her pompoms during the last few lines, just like two years ago when her best friend had randomly cheered during one of Ryoma's tennis matches. Kikumaru's face lit up, and he jumped into the fray as other girls began to join in (the cheer was quite legendary in the Ryoma-sama Fanclub, Tomoka boasting about it since she started the official club last year).

"S. E. I. G. A. K. U can do! Yay Seigaku! Hey Seigaku, let's go! S. E. I. G. A. K. U can say! Yay Seigaku! Hey Seigaku, let's go!" They all chorused in unison, none of them noticing the discreet smile spreading over Ryoma's lips. "S. E. I. G. A. K. U can do, yay!" Kikumaru turned to Sakuno, who understood his wink at her.

"Are you ready?" Sakuno said in English, spinning around with her hands (or pompoms) on her hips and smiling widely at Ryoma in the tennis court. A tip of his hat told her he was, and she giggled to herself as they continued with the cheer.

"Hey Seigaku, let's go!" Simultaneous clapping ensued, all of the people without pompoms making more of a distinct sound. "Seigaku, oh! Seigaku, let's go! Seigaku, ooooh!" Sakuno's pompoms dropped to the ground, and her arms rose high in the air and a big smile on her face. Tomoka's face blanched and she pointed at her best friend.

"S-Sakuno-chan…"

Ryoma, who was obviously watching this amusing display, suddenly turned and stepped off the court. His eyes, most likely in a death glare, where hidden under his Fila cap. He quickly made his way out of the fenced-in court, grabbing his regular jacket and draping it over Sakuno. The shy girl finally understood what was wrong, and a squeak came from her lips, her face completely red. She grabbed the sides of the jacket, tugging it tightly around herself to shield her exposed skin.

"A-arigatou Ryoma-kun." Sakuno murmured, too afraid to look into his eyes. She just heard a simple "hn", before he left her side to go continue the game. But before he left completely, the tennis prince turned around.

"Ne, Ryuzaki." He said, making her look up with wide eyes. A cocky smirk was on his face.

"Cheer for me."

_

* * *

A/N _And here's the fifth drabble!

My inspiration for this chapter was, as you can tell, from episode 82 of the anime. It was when Sakuno randomly broke out in a cheer, frightening a few people but inspiring everyone. I just loved when Kikumaru joined in, so I couldn't help but put him in this chapter, lol.

A cookie for anyone who reviews!

Snowflake Flower


	6. Take A Walk

**36 Drabbles**

**6: Taking A Walk**

Ryuzaki Sakuno didn't know how she ended up in this situation. You know, the type of situation where you had three boys surrounding you on the street of a crowded festival, all of them leering at you with their dark, perverted eyes. No one was really paying attention to the small, kimono-clad girl trembling underneath three pairs of predatory eyes. Well… _almost _no one.

"I-if you could just let me pass..." Sakuno stuttered, trying to get through two of the boys. She stepped back when those boys closed the space she tried to get through, the third coming up behind her and trying to grab her hands. He was stopped by a voice speaking up behind him.

"Ryuzaki." Echizen Ryoma said, scaring the three boys and making the third one turn to look at him. The expression on Ryoma's face was, as always, emotionless. He held a can of grape ponta in one hand.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno gasped, pushing past the third boy to stand close to him. Ryoma didn't take his eyes off the three boys until Sakuno stood beside him, her little pouch of money dangling from her fingers.

"Did you get lost?" He asked, his head turning to look at her and ignoring the three boys in front of him. Sakuno answered with an embarrassed "y-yes" when one of the boys tried to say something. A side-glare from Ryoma shut his mouth, and convinced all three of them to leave. _Now_.

Sakuno tugged the bottom of Ryoma's shirt. "A-ano…" she started, a blush spreading across the apples of her cheeks. She wanted to ask him to tell her where the centre of the festival was, so she could meet up with Tomoka before her best friend chewed her out for being late. Ryoma stared at her as she struggled to find the right words, still as apathetic as usual.

Without a word, the captain of the tennis team reached out with his free hand (the one not holding the grape ponta) and grabbed one of Sakuno's hands. She looked up, startled as Ryoma turned away, his back the only thing she could see, making his way into the opposite direction Sakuno was heading to. And though she could not see his face, the young Ryuzaki saw the tips of his ears turn red; his hand sweaty over hers.

Sakuno blushed, looking away from the sight of his back to her. Her gaze flickered as she saw a girl with brown hair run into the woodsy area to the right of them, gasping. "Tomo-chan!" Sakuno cried, her hand still gripping Ryoma's as she rushed after her friend. "Tomo-chan!"

Ryoma yelped, his arm suddenly being yanked on and his body dragged sharply to the right. Stumbling somewhat, Ryoma regained his footing and jogged behind Sakuno, who couldn't run faster because of the sandals she wore (as opposed to the running shoes Ryoma was wearing). Sakuno began to climb up a grassy hill, Ryoma having a much easier time than her, and helping her along.

When they reached the top, Sakuno ran to touch the girl on the shoulder, smiling. "Tomo-chan!" Sakuno's happiness faded when she saw a different face from the one she pictured. This person was openly scowling at her, irritated at being interrupted when she was trying to find her boyfriend. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else." With a quick flick of her hair, the girl stalked off and Sakuno stood there dejectedly.

"Ne, Ryuzaki." Ryoma said, touching her on the shoulder. Sakuno looked up at him, a little confused. He pointed to the front of them both. "Look." She obliged, and her face lit up as she saw the fireworks dancing across the sky. Her hands clasped together in front of her, her mouth agape in astonishment. She was a little saddened that she couldn't see the fireworks with Tomoka, but figured having Ryoma there to watch it with her was a good trade. Speaking of Ryoma, Sakuno never noticed him watching her the entire time she "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed at the fireworks.

When the fireworks were over, Ryoma and Sakuno began the strenuous journey down the hill. Ryoma helped Sakuno even more this time because her kimono restricted her movement. Often, she would miss a step or stumble, pitching forward only to be caught by Ryoma's strong hands, her cheek pressed against his chest. This would ensue generous blushing on Sakuno's part, and jerky movements on Ryoma's part for the next few seconds.

After reaching the bottom of the hill, Sakuno was pleased (but embarrassed) to see her hand still intimately intertwined with Ryoma's. Even more than that, he was refusing to let go no matter how much her fingers wiggled. "Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno spoke up meekly, blushing. He refused to look at her, and she could see the tips of his ears turn red again, partially hidden by his black hair and Fila cap.

"Want to take a walk?" Sakuno heard Ryoma say, his hand tightening lightly on her fingers. A brilliant cherry red blush spread over Sakuno's cheeks, and she smiled giddily as she reached out with her left hand, placing it on top of his left hand curled around her right hand.

"Okay."

_

* * *

A/N _I know, I know! This drabble is really short, but I couldn't think of any other ideas! Not to mention these _are _supposed to be drabbles. (Just saying!)

My inspiration for this chapter mainly came from a friend of mine. He gave me the basis of the plot (festival, walking around), but the fireworks and the three guys were just my little extras. I know it isn't very "Take a Walk" like, but I did what I could!

Review for a slice of yummy apple pie!

Snowflake Flower


	7. Coincidence

**36 Drabbles**

**7: Coincidence**

Ryuzaki Sakuno sighed, her chin cushioned by her two hands, which were supported by her elbows on her knees. Clad in a lovely summer dress (coloured light yellow with splashes of sky blue and lime green), Sakuno listened to the sound of the tennis ball rallying back and forth, watching Echizen Ryoma step from side-to-side. The person on the other side of the court perspired heavily, while his opponent was still breathing steadily.

Sakuno smiled a bit, mulling over how ironic everything turned out. The two of them happened to be sitting in the same train, Sakuno being bothered by a bunch of egotistic know-it-alls. They were swinging their rackets all over the place, coming close to hitting her in the face. Ryoma, on the other side of the train, noticed the commotion and intervened by baiting the three older boys. That soon led to Sakuno being dragged to an abandoned tennis court, watching Ryoma "defend" her from a bench outside the court.

Sighing again, the young girl watched as Ryoma began to score point after point, ruthlessly using his twist serve and winning games very quickly. The only reason she was still waiting here for him was because his opponent was calling "in" shots out (they landed _on _the white line, but he claims they landed _outside _the white line).

Kicking her feet against the soil beneath her and chocking up dust clouds, Sakuno sighed and lay down on the bench. She huffed, irritated at not being able to find a comfortable position. The girl had a feeling this match would go on longer than Ryoma intended it to, so she decided to take a short nap in the meantime. Only… she couldn't get to sleep.

Groaning a little, Sakuno threw an arm over her eyes to see if that would help (the sun cast bright lights onto her closed eyelids). It did help, as now she could see nothing but black, but it didn't make her fall asleep. All it did was heighten her sense of sound; so much she could hear Ryoma's opponent pant from some ways away, "look, your _girlfriend _can't stand to watch you lose!" Sakuno blushed horribly; keeping her embarrassment hidden by covering her cheeks with her other arm. Ryoma didn't say anything to that, probably ignoring that comment like he was ignoring Sakuno's presence. If she didn't meet him, he probably wouldn't have changed at all. But her?

Sometimes she _did_ wonder what her life would be like if she didn't meet Ryoma. Would she be at home now, like where she originally planned to be when she got onto the train, sporting a bruise on her cheek from those boys? Being woken by a boyfriend's text message, or Tomoka gushing about a cute guy and complaining about her brothers? Staying up to practice the flute for her solo performance in the school concert? How had this chance meeting – _coincidence_ – changed her?

Or was it really a coincidence?

As that thought struck her, Sakuno's eyes shot open. But the glare of the sun peeking through the sides of her arms made her close her eyes again, lest she be blinded by the light.

Who was to say it was a coincidence? Maybe it was a choice of the gods. For all Sakuno could know, their meeting could have been predetermined, could have been done just for some higher beings amusement. On a mere whim of a deity, they could have not met at all, and lived lives without the other. Sakuno could have gone on to be a famous singer, or actor, or flutist. She could've remained in the shadows all her life, working as a lowly secretary for some high-class company. Ryoma would still become a professional tennis player – it was what he was born to do, but would he have come back to Japan to finish schooling (would he have come to Japan at all?) and lounged on the top of the school roof during lunch with a pigtailed girl?

But what if gods didn't exist? What if there _were _no celestial beings controlling your every thought and decision? Maybe it was fate? Dare I say, _destiny_? Had their meeting been destined from the start, had their lives with each other been fate? Maybe they were friends, watching out for the other in their reincarnated life. Maybe they were strangers in the past, yet acquaintances in the present. Or maybe they were lovers in a past time, coming to meet once more in a heroic display of bravery by the man.

'_Maybe…_'

* * *

Sakuno groaned, feeling something tickling her ear.

"Ryuzaki… wake up."

Sakuno mumbled some incoherent words, trying to swat the ticklish thing away. There was a chuckle before something warm and calloused grabbed her wrist, trapping it so she wouldn't be able to swing it anymore.

"Come on, or I'm leaving you here." The voice said again, this time clearer as her brain began to focus on her surroundings. Letting out another groan, Sakuno's eyes cracked open and she could see the golden eyes of Ryoma staring at her, as emotionless as always. With a little shriek (hurting Ryoma's ears), Sakuno jolted up into a sitting position and immediately noticed that it wasn't as light as it was before she lost consciousness. In fact, the sun was just setting!

"Iyaaa~!" Sakuno exclaimed, her hands coming up to cover her open mouth. "R-Ryoma-kun, what time is it?" Ryoma shrugged, not really bothering to carry watches around with him. His cell phone battery was dead too, because he didn't notice he was using the music player during his match with the small fry. Sakuno scrambled for her phone, flicking it open and adjusting her eyes to the sudden brightness of the screen. "It's eight pm! Mou, grandmother is going to be so worried!" Ryoma took a slight step back, turning around in the direction of the subway station. Sakuno blinked. "Ryoma-kun?" The tips of his ears were red.

"Hurry up, or I'll leave you behind."

A wide smile blossomed over her face, like the sakura petals dancing around their mother tree. Grabbing her purse, shoving her cell phone in it and clutching the strap in front of her with both hands, Sakuno got up to follow the young tennis prince as he began to walk away. She could see the back of his regular jacket rustling from both his movement and the wind blowing. Scrunching her lips in thought, Sakuno came to a conclusion and hopped forward a bit, now walking _beside _Ryoma instead of behind him. Ryoma looked at her from the corner of his eyes under his hat, and then looked back to the station as his ears turned red again. Sakuno giggled, opting not to say anything and enjoying this new development in their budding relationship.

'_Coincidence, fate, destiny, or anything in between; it doesn't matter so long as I am by his side._'

_

* * *

A/N _Here's the seventh one for you guys!

My inspiration for this chapter was just Sakuno thinking about her meeting Ryoma for the first time, and how it was such a coincidence. I originally just planned for it to be her, lying on her bed and thinking about it, but then I thought that was too boring. So I added in some irony (everyone loves irony, right?) with the whole "Ryoma-saves-Sakuno-from-being-hit-in-the-face-again"! Like it?

A lollipop for anyone who reviews!

Snowflake Flower


	8. Helping

**36 Drabbles**

**8: Helping**

Echizen Ryoma was never much of a listener. He was never much of anything, besides a tennis genius. He did well in school, but not well enough to be considered extremely smart. Besides Karupin, tennis, and _maybe _Ryuzaki Sakuno, Ryoma didn't really care. Everything else was just pointless. So it doesn't come as much of a surprise for Ryoma to be sleeping during his morning class, after the teacher had come in and done roll call. Neither was it was surprise for Ryoma to miss any announcements the teacher spoke to the class about.

* * *

"School festival?" Ryoma said, his ponta halfway to his mouth as he stared at Horio beside him. The other student was looking a little exasperated, wondering how Ryoma could be so _clueless _about everything. With a little sigh, Horio took out a folded sheet of paper, handing it to his captain.

"Coach Ryuzaki thought this would happen, so she told me to give this to you." Ryoma took it, unfolding the lined paper and reading the message on the inside.

_Ryoma,_

_As I'm _**_sure _**_you know, the school festival is coming and it's required for all school clubs to participate. Therefore, I have arranged for the tennis club to hold a mini tournament during the festival. I leave all the planning to you. Good luck!_

_Coach Ryuzaki_

Ryoma quickly looked over it, letting out an audible "che" before tossing the note to Horio. "Get it done." He said, starting to walk away. That is, until Horio cleared his throat to get the prince of tennis' attention once more. The note was handed to him again, only on the other side of the paper. Ryoma peered at the tiny message scrawled in the middle of the page.

_When I say _**_to you_**_, I mean __to you__._

Ryoma could only glare at the words on the page.

* * *

'_He's having too much fun with this._' Ryoma thought, trudging along the outside of the school a week later. He was headed for his bag, which was in his classroom. The list of participants in the club was on there, and Horio said they couldn't start planning unless he got it. When Ryoma asked why Horio didn't get it, the boy just looked at him.

"You really want me digging through your stuff?"

Ryoma got up to go fetch the flimsy piece of paper.

On the way, he passed by the girl's tennis court and saw Sakuno hard at work, picking up a few stray tennis balls as she acted as messenger between the members of the tennis club. There were a few droplets of sweat making their way down the side of her face, and Ryoma supposed she had been running almost the entire day. The tennis club must've really not known how to use cell phones, huh?

Skirting that thought to the side, Ryoma continued to make his way back to his classroom.

* * *

"Okay Echizen-buchou, we're done with the match-ups. Winner of the tournament plays you as a bonus." Kachiro says, handing him the rough draft of the match-up sheet. Ryoma listened vaguely as he got up, Katsuo telling him he needed to take this to Ryuzaki so they could print out a large sheet to use in the actual tournament. Then he had to head back to confirm announcers and other such miscellaneous people. Waving his hand to show he understood, Ryoma got up and walked away, heading to coach Ryuzaki's office.

On the way, he passed by a peculiar scene in one of the classrooms. They were obviously putting on a play, what with the way some of them were dressed and others held semi-thick booklets. But most notably, one of the girls wearing a large poofy dress was holding her arms out; Sakuno crouched down behind her with a few needles held between her lips. She was stitching the back of the costumes seam's together, eyes scrunched in concentration.

Ryoma paused to look at her, forehead probably shining from perspiration. He only continued to the teacher's office when some of the girls in the room noticed him staring, and then starting to point him out or gush like the fangirls they were.

* * *

"Alright Ryoma, you're free to go." Ryuzaki Sumire said, grinning at the sheet in her hand. The captain of the tennis team across from her was scowling openly, dressed in his tennis outfit with his Fila cap. The planning for the tournament had taken up all of his time, not to mention the tennis team's time, so he didn't get to issue laps to anyone for the day. "Make sure you're here for the festival, even if the winner will never have a chance of beating you." Snorting, Ryoma tipped his hat down and turned around, calling out a "whatever" over his shoulder at his coach. When he closed the door to the teacher's office, he could hear her chuckle reach his ears.

A few students still littered about, probably still preparing for the festival in a few days. Ryoma ignored them, just trying to get to his tennis bag (which was in the change rooms) and get home. It was a long day, and all he wanted to do was lay down with Karupin and have a nap before dinner.

"Ryuzaki-san, where're those stage props I've been asking for?"

"Ryuzaki, you have to deliver these tennis balls to buchou before she leaves!"

Ryoma's ears pricked, hearing the name of the shy girl he had gotten quite close to over the last couple months. Spinning on his heel and looking to the side, he saw Sakuno carrying a large box that almost blocked her eyesight, a girl peeking out of a door from the end of the hallway, and another girl beside Sakuno trying to shove a bucket of tennis balls into her hand. That girl was dressed out of uniform, in make-up with her hair done nicely. Ryoma's eyes narrowed.

"I-I'll be right there!" Sakuno cried, trying to find a way to grab the rail of the bucket. Once she got one of her fingers on it, the girl beside her bolted in Ryoma's direction, looking a little harried and panicky. In all of the years Ryoma had played tennis, he had picked up a keen trick to predicting the next move of his opponent, and in a way, was able to manipulate the situation to his advantage. Knowing Sakuno's clumsiness as well as he did, it was safe (or unsafe?) to say she would pitch forward in the next couple seconds and her face would meet the floor, the box, or a tennis ball.

Resolved in what he should do, Ryoma took off in a sprint towards Sakuno, his shoulder hitting the shoulder of the girl who was running past him and slamming her into the wall. It didn't hurt her badly, just stunned her momentarily and caught both her attention and the attention of the girl in the doorway. At that moment, Sakuno had let go of the bucket and the box; both of them sent crashing to the floor. She was going to follow, had Ryoma not skidded to a stop in front of her and caught her round the waist, tugging her to him to make sure she had something to lean on to regain her balance.

When he caught her Ryoma could feel Sakuno's muscles relax immediately, relying completely on his support to keep her upright. If his guess was right, the selfless, _idiotic _girl had probably been working this hard for the past week. It was only inevitable she collapse one of these days. He was just thankful it was when he was there to catch her.

"R-Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said, a little flabbergasted. Ryoma let her go, sure that she had gotten her footing back and wouldn't fall down again. Sakuno had looked at the box and the tennis balls rolling around on the floor, her facial expression stricken with grief and doom. "Oh no…" She murmured, thinking about having to pick up all the tennis balls and the heavy box again. Ryoma's eyes narrowed for a second.

"Ne." He said, catching her attention. "Let's go. I don't want to get home too late." He turned to walk away, in the direction of the two girls who stood there a little shocked. Sakuno made a noise of protest.

"B-but, I have to deliver the box and-," She stopped talking when Ryoma looked at her from over his shoulder.

"Ryuzaki," he started. "What's your job in your club for the school festival?" Sakuno blinked, standing up a little straighter as if confused he would ask something like that. Usually it was her who would bother to wonder those questions. Ryoma was much to uncaring to think about trivial things like that. Nevertheless, Sakuno answered him honestly, blushing a little.

"W-well the girls tennis team is putting on a tennis musical. Buchou decided to make me narrator." Ryoma nodded a little, closing his eyes and tilting his head up a bit.

"And what do you need to do, exactly?" He asked, Sakuno blushing even more and her head drooping further down.

"Buchou just needs me to memorize some lines and rehearse everything, because sometimes I have to go without the script." The other girls in the tennis team began to look away guiltily. Ryoma just let out a thoughtful noise.

"Nothing else?" Sakuno shook her head, not that Ryoma could see her do so.

"No…" And Ryoma shrugged, turning his body somewhat to look at her.

"So let's go."

Sakuno looked to the two girls in her tennis team, who were slowly making their way to the box and the tennis balls lying on the floor, not daring to look at the kind girl standing between them. Their eyes were hidden, but Sakuno knew that this was their way of apologizing. Smiling a little, Sakuno jogged up to join Ryoma beside him, nodding.

"Hai."

_

* * *

A/N _Rawr! I am kind of unsatisfied with this chapter, and I'm sorry to anyone who also thinks so!

My inspiration for this chapter was kind of along the lines of putting things in Ryoma's point of view, instead of Sakuno's like I usually do. Ryoma's definitely harder to do, seeing as he's very laid-back and apathetic all the time. It was a nice change of pace, though. I hope the next drabble turns out better.

Pie for anyone who reviews! (Will it be in your face? I don't know... =3)

Snowflake Flower


	9. Karupin

**36 Drabbles**

**9: Karupin**

"Ryoma-kun has a cat?" Ryuzaki Sakuno asked, tilting her head cutely as the two of them walked back to his house. It was Saturday, and they had been stuck together as partners for an English project. Seeing as it was due tomorrow, the two had finally decided to work on it at Ryoma's house, simply because Ryoma didn't feel like being in the same house as his tennis coach. He was very thankful his dad was out doing something or other with his mom, and Nanako was still doing one of her exams.

"Her name is Karupin." Ryoma said, the both of them coming to the entrance of his house. Sakuno gaped; a little shocked at seeing the temple sign above her.

"R-Ryoma-kun lives in a temple?" She said, flabbergasted. Ryoma made a noise of annoyance, obviously thinking about his baka oyaji. He stepped into the temple, a smug little smile on his lips as he overheard Sakuno whisper a prayer and an apology quietly under her breath. They made their way to the house behind the temple, Ryoma not bothering to show her around.

"We'll be working in the living room." He said, dropping his backpack on the floor and collapsing on the couch with a big huff. Sakuno blushed, standing in the middle of the room not knowing what to do, her school bag dangling from her fingers loosely.

"R-right."

* * *

Karupin's ears twitched, hearing the front door slam from downstairs. Her head rose from its position on the comfy bed, tail twitching as she heard two voice from the first floor. Curious, Karupin uncurled and stretched languidly, mouth opening in a yawn and showing her pearly white fangs. After she was sure she wouldn't pull any muscles from jumping, Karupin leapt off the bed and squeezed herself out the little crack in the door, liking the way the walls rubbed against her side. Padding across the hall and down the stairs, she entered the living room and saw her human partner and a peculiar female in there.

Meowing, Karupin jumped onto the couch, scratching at Ryoma's shorts. Now that her human partner was back from whatever he was doing, she wanted to play! Ryoma smirked a little, lifting her up and putting her on his chest, scratching her behind the ears. Karupin purred contentedly, her paws stretching in relaxation.

"Umm… is this Karupin?"

Karupin's head shot up, and she stared curiously at the girl standing at the end of the couch. How did she know her name? Karupin never remembered seeing her before. Intrigued, Karupin sauntered to the end of the couch, hopping onto the armrest and staring at the female. Tilting her head, Karupin reached a paw out, slapping one of the long things that dangled from her head.

"Kyaa~!" The female human cried, holding her swinging braid. Ryoma snickered from behind Karupin, making the cat turn and look. Meowing again, Karupin looked back to the dangling braid. She crouched, tail swaying slowly in the air. "R-Ryoma-kun, what is Karupin-chan doing?" Ryoma smirked a little, raising a brow.

"Karupin-chan?" he asked, chuckling. "She looks ready to pounce on one of your braids." Sakuno squeaked, rushing over to Ryoma's side and dropping her school bag. Ryoma reached out to grab one of her braids, tugging it and waving the end at Karupin. In amusement, Ryoma watched Karupin race over, trying to grab the cat's tail-esque toy with one paw. Sakuno, kneeling on the ground and allowing Ryoma to manipulate her braid, giggled as she saw Karupin playing.

"She's very cute, and looks well-trained. Ryoma-kun must really care about her." Sakuno said, blushing a little as she smiled sweetly at Ryoma. Ryoma looked away, giving her her braid back and shrugging in nonchalance. Sakuno giggled again, before saying they should start on the project and going to fetch her bag. Karupin watched her partner curiously, jumping off the couch to go to the kitchen to fetch some food for herself, meowing all the while.

* * *

When Karupin got back from eating her fill of food, she came upon the scene of Ryoma and Sakuno doing English homework. Feeling mildly sleepy, Karupin sauntered over to the couch, jumping on top of the headrest and curling into a little ball. She felt Ryoma's hand stroke her fur, and she purred contentedly, tail twitching in satisfaction.

"C-can I pet her?" Karupin heard the female human ask, and her partner answering with an affirmative. Another softer, smaller hand began to stroke her, and Karupin shivered in pleasure. It was nice to have another hand stroke her fur, after having only the Echizen family do it. Karupin was lulled into a nice state of relaxation, only mildly paying attention to the conversation in front of her.

Peeking an eye open in curiosity, Karupin watched the female human as she blushed and stuttered around her human partner. Fascinating behaviour, Karupin thought as Nanako and Rinko were the only human females she was around. Nanako was very righteous and stubborn, very reminiscent of her uncle Nanjiroh. Rinko was the classic Japanese housewife. Refined and elegant, Karupin enjoyed her company the most (though the woman _did _blow her off sometimes to attend to some chore). This female was very shy, aiming to please others and not herself. It was a new kind of behaviour to Karupin, and the female cat thought she should investigate.

But she was much too lazy to move right now, so she'd simply observe from her spot on the couch.

* * *

The front door slammed shut again, Karupin staring curiously at it. Her partner and the peculiar female human had just left, Karupin now being left in the house with Nanako. Sitting and staring at the front door for a few minutes, Karupin finally decided her partner wasn't coming back anytime soon, so she turned on her heel and padded over to the living room. There, Karupin jumped onto the couch and curled up beside Nanako, purring as the young woman pet her.

Taking this time without her human partner, Karupin decided to go over her information about the shy girl earlier this afternoon. She was very nervous and jittery, and Karupin always saw a faint pink decorating her cheeks. She jumped whenever something unexpected happened, and really defined the phrase "to wear your heart on your sleeve". Deciphering this particular girl took almost no effort whatsoever. It was like the girl just _gave _her everything she needed to know in black and white. The girl acted much like a shy cat would if she was smitten with a male cat.

Then Karupin thought maybe she could give advice to the female girl, hoping her human partner would show some preference to a mate. Purring a little louder at her brilliant scheme, Karupin rubbed against Nanako's palm as a sort of pat-on-the-back. Nanako giggled, wondering why the cat was so happy, but deciding not to question miracles and going back to watch television. Karupin just purred some more.

_

* * *

A/N _Sorry its a little late, but here's drabble 9! If Karupin is a boy, then meh. She has been gender-bended for the sake of this chapter (cause I said so, XD)

My inspiration for this chapter was putting everything in Karupin's perspective. I wanted to do the entire drabble in Karupin's POV, but then I started writing it and I didn't like it, so I redid everything. I wish I had a little more time to perfect it and make it better, but I'm on a tight schedule! Maybe when I'm done all the drabbles and have some time, I'll come and redo a few of them.

Review for some hot chocolate! (Or whatever other cafe beverage you fancy.)

Snowflake Flower


	10. Homework

**36 Drabbles**

**10: Homework**

"Ochibi~!" Kikumaru Eiji exclaimed, tennis racket in hand as he did a few cartwheels. Surrounding him were all the former Seigaku regulars, dressed casually in sports wear (shorts and a t-shirt). Each of them held tennis rackets, more than half in the middle of warming up. Of everyone, only Tezuka, Inui and Fuji remained still, watching all the tohers.

"Echizen, nice to see you again." Fuji said pleasantly, the same old smile ever-present on his gentle face. Beside him stood Tezuka, arms crossed and face stern as it had always been. Inui was a little ways behind them, notebook open and pen flying across the page. He started writing ever since Ryoma walked into the tennis court.

"Come on, come on! I'm itching to play!" Momoshiro shouted, swinging his racket with an audible 'whoosh'. Ryoma smirked, grabbing his racket from his tennis bag and catching the yellow ball Momoshiro threw at him.

"Hai." Ryoma answered.

* * *

They had started the little tennis get-together quite early. Ryoma had commented on having previously arranged plans, but the only day the rest of them were free was this one day; Saturday. As a result, they were able to negotiate with Ryoma an earlier time period to meet up, all of them wondering if they would be able to get up and be there on time. Naturally, with the threat of laps from Tezuka (though he was not their official captain anymore), all of them arrived earlier than they were supposed to. When Ryoma got there, most of them were already warmed up. He was as well, considering his father dragged him out of bed every morning to play matches with him.

They had been playing for a couple hours, sweat decorating their entire body. Everyone had had a turn to play against Ryoma, the prince as expected winning all the matches. Some of them amused and feeling mischievous, offered to play two-on-one, with Ryoma being the one. Intrigued with the idea, Ryoma agreed and prepared to stump Kaidoh and Inui at the same time.

He won.

A little ticked off, Momoshiro then challenged Ryoma to a three-on-one game. Ryoma, feeling particularly confident that day, agreed. Taking on Kikumaru, Oishi, _and _Fuji at the same time, Ryoma still won. It went on to four-on-one (Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Inui, and Kawamura) until Momoshiro finally challenged Echizen to the most difficult of challenges.

The entire team of Seigaku against the Prince of Tennis.

Guess who lost?

* * *

"Good game, Echizen." Inui said, walking up to the sweating tennis prince and shaking his hand. "I had suspected not even _you _would be able to beat all of us in a match. I appear to be proven wrong. Ii data." His notebook out, Inui was scribbling notes into it, Ryoma watching with a raised eyebrow. He was about to take another sip of ponta, when his cell phone suddenly rang. Inui perked up, hoping for some more data on the aloof prince of tennis. He was praying for it to be a call, but it was just a text message.

Ryoma quickly skimmed through the text message, and then closed his phone. Stuffing it in his pocket, Ryoma put his tennis racket back into its bag and zipped it up, swinging it over his shoulder. The action caught everyone's attention, as they were in the middle of watching Kaidoh and Momoshiro's tennis match.

"You're leaving already?" Oishi asked, a little bit of concern etched in his face. Ryoma nodded, adjusting his Fila cap.

"Yeah. I'll see you next month senpai-tachi. Ja." Ryoma waved, turning to walk away from the tennis court. He heard them all shout their goodbyes, before the sound of tennis balls hitting the ground and two rackets became apparent again. Ryoma would have turned the corner to get to the sidewalk, if Inui hadn't come up and stopped him.

"Echizen," he said, pushing the bridge of his glasses up. "If my calculations are right…" there was a devilish smile on his face. "You are going to teach Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter, Ryuzaki Sakuno, tennis lessons now." Ryoma looked at him for a long while; so long that Inui began to get anxious and nervous until Ryoma broke out into a grin.

"I see you've been doing your homework." Turning and walking away, Ryoma merely smirked at Inui's mumbled words behind him.

"Ii data…"

_

* * *

A/N _The tenth drabble! Yaaay~! I now have twenty-six more to go (damn it).

The inspiration for this chapter was Ryoma's comment, "I see you've been doing your homework." I thought it was something appropriate to say to Inui, cause it seems like the guy is doing nothing but homework when he gathers data about everyone (and sometimes every_thing_). Plus, I thought maybe it would be _another _nice change of pace to not include Sakuno in this chapter, except in passing.

Review for some chocolate truffles!

Snowflake Flower


	11. Rain

**36 Drabbles**

**11: Rain**

Sakuno sighed, leaning against the headboard of her bed as she stared out the window in the wall beside her, the rain pounding relentlessly against it. The storm clouds blocked out all the light of the sun, throwing the city of Tokyo into a dark, dreary atmosphere. Ever since she was a child, Sakuno hated the rain. It may have been because getting wet was very annoying (unless you were bathing or going for a swim); it may have been because her parents died in a car crash because of slippery roads and a drunken bastard, it may have been simply for no reason at all. If that was the case, Sakuno would always find another reason to hate the rain, and she did.

It cancelled her tennis lessons with Ryoma.

Flushing horribly, Sakuno hated how she sounded so _lovesick_. I mean, having a crush was one thing, but to go beyond that? Almost unheard of a girl in her youthful age. She was supposed to be like Tomoka, impulsive, carefree, and infatuated over every guy who was considered vaguely "cute". Instead, she was cautious, careful, and possibly _in love_ with a boy her age.

But that didn't make any sense, she kept telling herself. How could she love Ryoma if she didn't even know anything _about _him? Sure he loves tennis, and he has a cat named Karupin, and he lives in a temple, and his cousin's name is Nanako, and he _constantly _sleeps, and he **_hates _**western food, and his favourite drink is ponta, and he is overall very unsociable, but that's as far as her knowledge of him went.

Sighing, Sakuno jumped in her skin as her cell phone on her night table began to ring, grabbing it as she laughed at getting scared of her own phone. Her hand paused to grab it though, remembering very clearly when her own grandmother picked up the phone on that fateful rainy day, slamming it down because she was in complete denial. But then Sakuno remembered everyone was at home because it was raining so badly. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Sakuno flicked it open.

_ONE MESSAGE FROM: _**_ECHIZEN RYOMA_**

Sakuno blinked at the screen, a little disbelieving at first. Ryoma texting _her_? Someone was obviously pulling a mean prank. Sucking in some breath for confidence, she opened the message and read over it, blushing a little.

_I'm bored._

It was blunt, and avoiding anything saying Ryoma wanted to talk to her. He was usually very blunt, but sometimes saying certain things could ruin his reputation, so Ryoma disguised his messages by saying something that could be interpreted as simply friendship. Sakuno was able to understand his strange ways, having adapted to them from their time together on the roof. She hit the 'reply' button, typing in a message of her own to send to him.

_Would you like to talk? I have nothing to do, since the tennis lessons are cancelled._

Sakuno hit the 'send' button, waiting for the phone to tell her the message was sent successfully before lying down on her bed, awaiting his reply. Her cell phone was lying on her stomach, pressed down lightly by her two hands. Sakuno closed her eyes, trying to block out the sound of the rain hitting the window. It worked, for a small while until her cell phone vibrated on her stomach, sending her into fits of giggling. Sakuno quickly picked it up, flipping it open and reading the reply from Ryoma.

_Your hair is too long._

She burst out laughing.

* * *

They texted each other late into the night, Sakuno yawning every five seconds. The only thing that kept her awake was the thought of Ryoma's text reply, and the vibrating of her cell phone as his message reached her.

Their conversation over the phone was long and refreshing, Sakuno thought. She learned so many things about Ryoma from this one conversation alone. Like how he didn't like milk, but he drank it because of Inui-senpai's meal plan. His adventures in America, playing against top-notch professionals and winning against several of them. His baka oyaji who read perverted magazines, his strict mother whom always looked so elegant in a kimono, his cousin Nanako with her stubborn nature, and Karupin who he saw as one of his best friends.

That was when Sakuno discovered she was Ryoma's best _female _friend.

What could he say? No one could really match up to Momo-chan.

Anyhow, the next text message Sakuno got from Ryoma stated that it was late, and he was keeping her up when they both knew they should be asleep. So Sakuno sent him a reply, bidding him good night (and sweet dreams, but that was in her head and not in the text), before placing her cell phone on her night table and snuggling into her comfy blankets. The rain still beat against her glass window, but the storm had long since died down. Instead, it was just a soft pattering that slowly lulled her to sleep, reminding her of listening to the rain as she waited for Ryoma's text replies.

Sakuno smiled, letting a single thought pass through her head before she drifted into the dark abyss of dreams.

'_Maybe rain… isn't so bad after all._'

_

* * *

A/N _And so the eleventh drabble is out! Short and sweet? I personally wish I could've made it longer, but meh.

Inspiration for this chapter mainly came from Sakuno and Ryoma getting to know each other better. I figured Ryoma isn't the type to freely talk face-to-face, so what better way than with a cell phone?

Review for a cherry cheesecake! (Yum!)

Snowflake Flower


	12. Clumsiness

**36 Drabbles**

**12: Clumsiness**

_Pok._

_Pok._

_Pok._

The steady sound of tennis balls brought Echizen Ryoma to a state of awareness, calmly analyzing his regular's play styles. Kachiro and Katsuo were going up against each other, the match not ending because they both knew each other so well. Ryoma was going to have to remember to never let them play a match against each other. Horio was refereeing, but he shoved the task onto someone else when one of the other tennis regulars challenged him to a match.

Ryoma sighed, getting up.

"Eh, where are you going Echizen-buchou?" He heard a first year ask him. Ryoma sent them a nonchalant look. Of course, to the freshman it looked to be a glare and not his normal facial expression (it could be the sun shining down on a certain angle, or it could be the second year's rumours of the "demon prince").

"Water taps." He answered, before turning and walking off. The first years merely cowered in place, clutching the basket of tennis balls.

* * *

_Pok._

_Pok._

_Pok._

_Plunk._

"Mou! Stupid tennis ball!"

Ryoma looked over, seeing a short, brown-haired girl glaring at a tennis ball on the ground and rubbing her head. Her hair was split in two, braided in short pigtails. She looked very frustrated, Ryoma almost feeling like he could see steam coming out of her ears.

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

Ryoma's head jolted to the side, seeing Sakuno walk up to the younger girl named Sakura. She was wearing her tennis uniform (a t-shirt and a skirt, with a headband and wristbands) and holding her tennis racket. There was a fine sheen of sweat glinting all over her skin, showing how she had just finished warming up. Her shirt clung to the contours of her body, free for Ryoma to rake his eyes over.

"Ah! Sakuno-senpai! The ball keeps hitting me in the head." Sakura said, pouting. Sakuno giggled a little, picking up the tennis ball lying on the floor. Her skirt rode up, and Ryoma's eyes flickered to the skin revealed because of that. His eyes narrowed, wondering how she could be so careless in public, where everyone could see her.

Sakuno handed the tennis ball back to Sakura, instructing her to try again. The younger girl nodded, beginning her "match" against the wall. She constantly ran to the left and right, trying to hit it before it went past her. The ball hit very random spots of the wall, and Sakuno merely observed her kouhai's form as she rallied. Finally, Sakuno stopped Sakura and walked a little ways off, to her tennis bag and taking out her own tennis ball.

"You're swinging your racket wrong, Sakura. And your footwork could use some work as well. Also, try bending your knees; it helps. Here, let me show you." Sakura stepped back, her eyes shining a little as she waited to be awed by her senpai's performance. Sakuno served, her back arching gracefully and her arm swinging down to hit the tennis ball. It bounced against the wall, rebounding and coming back at her. She simply swung her arm and hit it again, the ball coming close to hitting the exact same spot as before. It went on for a while, Sakura in awe at her senpai's form and simply watching her.

'_Not bad…_' Ryoma thought, wondering in the back of his mind where the clumsy Ryuzaki Sakuno had gone. Immediately after that thought transpired, Sakuno's left foot stepped behind her right foot, onto a stone pebble. Usually, that wouldn't have fazed her, but she stepped on it with the front of her foot, causing her to stumble. As a result, her arm was unable to ready itself to hit the tennis ball, and it came flying at her face.

Ryoma, quick on his feet, dashed forward and wrapped one arm around her waist, tugging her sideways and causing her shoulder to fall on his chest. The other arm reached forward, catching the tennis ball easily. Sakuno's racket clattered to the floor, her hands clutching the sleeve of his t-shirt, blush flitting all across her cheeks as she realized what happened. Sakura was off to the side, a little embarrassed to be seeing the esteemed Prince of Tennis up close, especially with an emotion displayed on his face.

Ryoma was smirking almost mischievously. He let go of Sakuno, letting her regain her balance and bending down to pick up her racket, letting the tennis ball go. Instead of _giving _it to her, though, Ryoma decided to give Sakuno a little more pointers. Pointers reminiscent of a time when they were young, and it seemed their relationship had no hope of progressing as far as it did.

He tapped the back of her knees.

"Knees not bent enough."

He tapped her arms.

"Arms too stiff."

And then his free hand tugged on one of her long braids.

"Hair too long."

Sakuno blinked, looking at him. Then her cheeks puffed out.

"Mou, Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed, hitting him with one of her small fists. He just chuckled, handing her the pink racket and then bending down to pick up the tennis ball. He tossed it up a few times, his wrist flicking deftly. Someone from his tennis team called for him, and Ryoma's eyes narrowed a bit in annoyance. He turned and waved them away, and they escaped when they saw his frightening eyes. Turning back around to face Sakuno, Ryoma leaned forward to whisper in her ear before heading off to the guy's tennis court. Sakuno's cheeks burned as he left, Sakura coming to stand beside her senpai.

"Ryuzaki-senpai?" Sakura asked, jumping as Sakuno suddenly shouted.

"RYOMA-KUN, I AM **_NOT _**CLUMSY!!"

Ryoma chuckled.

_

* * *

A/N _And so the twelfth drabble is completed.

My inspiration for this chapter was Ryoma realizing that Sakuno had outgrown her clumsiness, but as I wrote it ended up taking a slight detour, lol. And make sure you remember Sakura! She'll be appearing in a later drabble (a _much _later drabble).

Review if you want chocolate cake!

Snowflake Flower


	13. Hat

**36 Drabbles**

**13: Hat**

It was the summer of their fifteenth year. Graduation had passed, and Ryuzaki Sakuno was surprised to know that she and Ryoma still kept in touch after school was over. In fact, they had scheduled a tennis lesson just this morning, which was why Sakuno was rushing to get ready after waking up late. (Tomo likes to talk late into the night.)

"Sakuno, weren't you supposed to leave thirty minutes ago?" Ryuzaki Sumire asked, a cup of coffee in hand as she watched her granddaughter rush around the kitchen, trying to cook a bento and retie her right braid again. She had come down a couple minutes ago, expecting to see the kitchen empty except for a plate of breakfast already cooked for her by Sakuno. Instead, she saw her granddaughter looking harried and panicked, scolding herself for not getting up on time.

"I'm leaving now, grandmother." Sakuno said, plopping the lid of the bento on the box and tying a handkerchief around it. She grabbed her tennis bag, slinging it over her shoulder and grabbing the bento boxes before hurrying to slip on her running shoes. "Please don't wait up for me!" Sumire watched her granddaughter rush out the door, wincing when it slammed shut.

* * *

"You're late."

Sakuno groaned, collapsing on the ground as Ryoma stood above her, sipping a ponta leisurely. She was late by about half an hour, but by then Ryoma had come to anticipate that, so he cleverly arrived five minutes before she arrived. He took a detour as well, grabbing a ponta on the way. Sakuno got up, gasping a little.

"R-Ryoma-kun, are you hungry? We can eat the bento before we practice." Sakuno said, holding up the handkerchief with the two lunch boxes on the inside. Ryoma looked at them, debating in his mind if he wanted to start with tennis or a yummy home-cooked lunch first.

Naturally, he went with the lunch.

* * *

"Hmm." Ryoma mumbled, finishing off the last of his bento in disappointment. Though he was full, the tennis prince still wanted to taste more of Sakuno's delectable food. Sakuno had already finished her smaller bento, having less of an appetite as opposed to the boy (man?) stretching across from her like a cat. He yawned, and Sakuno shifted so she was on her knees, knowing he got sleepy after he ate.

Ryoma tugged his hat off, placing it on the ground beside Sakuno and turning to lie down. That is… until Sakuno gasped.

"What?" Ryoma muttered, staring at her strangely. Sakuno giggled a little, pointing at his hair. It was messy and probably tangled, sticking up at odd angles.

"Ryoma-kun has hat hair!" She exclaimed, bursting out into another fit of giggling. Ryoma's eyes widened, and he reached up to feel his black/dark green locks. He scowled a bit, looking at the still-giggling Sakuno.

"Do not." He protested, crossing his arms and turning his head to the side. His hair had always felt like this, so he had no idea what she was talking about. Hat hair? Please. Echizen Ryoma _never _got hat hair. Sakuno stifled her next few giggles, leaning forward towards his hair.

"Here, let me just-," she started, trying to get her fingers in his hair to straighten it out a little. Ryoma pouted childishly, Sakuno sitting behind him as she ran her fingers through his hair, tugging on a few tangles and eliciting a few winces from him. Every time, she apologized, and Ryoma didn't mind too much because the feel of her fingers against his scalp was very relaxing. When Sakuno's fingers disappeared, he figured she was done combing his hair and picked up his hat.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed, snatching his hat from him. He blinked.

"What?" Sakuno scowled.

"If you put your hat on, it'll mess up your hair and all my work will be for nothing."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed, and he looked at the Fila cap clutched against Sakuno's chest. Ryoma wasn't one to care much about things, and it was true he never wore his Fila cap during school hours, but that was an exception because it was a school policy. Anytime outside of school (or his house), there was no way Ryoma was going to be seen without his Fila cap. And not even Sakuno could stop him.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed, scooting back as he lunged at her. His eyes were fixated totally on the white hat she held in her hands, and Sakuno pursed her lips, scrambling onto her feet and running off. "I won't let you wear it!" She shouted behind herself to Ryoma, a giddy smile on her face. Though she couldn't see, Ryoma smiled a mischievous smirk.

"We'll see about that." He murmured, before taking off after her.

* * *

It was quiet, tranquil. The leaves of the forest danced in the wind leisurely, the birds chirping beautiful songs in harmony. Little baby birds were nestled in their mother's nest, getting ready to settle down for their nap of the day, as a way for waiting for their mother to bring them food. The leaves rustled softly, not wanting to disturb the birds but much too energetic to stop moving completely. The mother and father birds began to chirp softer, lulling their babies to a peaceful sleep. All was quiet…

For a while.

"Iyaa~! _Ryoma-kun!_"

The baby birds jolted, shrieking loudly as they complained about the loud noises, their mothers chirping songs to try and lull them back to sleep. The trees went back to rustling loudly, now that they no longer had to keep quiet for the sake of the children.

Sakuno was giggling hysterically, Ryoma running light touches all along her ribcage and trying to snatch away his hat at the same time. Sakuno kept it away from him successfully, seeing as it was difficult when her opponent was being unmerciful. And it was really quite ironic, especially when the whole point of keeping the hat away from Ryoma was to keep his hair nice and neat, but it ended up becoming even messier than before because of their little cat-and-mouse game.

Ryoma finally got his hat back, after Sakuno decided his hands were wandering a _little _bit too far up her torso. With a big smile, a little giggle, and a tear in her eye from laughing too much, Sakuno handed Ryoma his baseball cap back. He took it smugly, plopping it back on his head. He then tugged on one of her braids, his eyes devilish.

"Ne, Ryuzaki. Your braids are messy." He said, mocking her. Sakuno blushed furiously, taking a look at her long hair. It was indeed quite messy, tangled a little and very loose, sporting a few leaves as well. Sakuno sighed, spouting out a "mou…" before taking out the hair bands and untangling it. Ryoma watched with curiosity reminiscent of a five-year-old, Sakuno's hair beautifully wavy when it was let down. He reached out, fingering some strands between his three fingers and causing a blush to rise to Sakuno's face.

With a little grin, Ryoma reached to the top of his head and took off his hat, plopping it on her head.

"Not bad."

_

* * *

A/N _I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but meh.

The inspiration for this chapter came from my friend, the one who helped me with drabble six (Taking A Walk). He just wondered to himself why Ryoma never has hat hair, which sparked the idea for this drabble. (Ryoma _does _have hat hair. Doesn't it seem like his hair is messy when he isn't wearing his hat?)

Review for some apple pie! And ice cream!

Snowflake Flower


	14. Candy

**36 Drabbles**

**14: Candy**

It was very busy in the room, order after order and customer after customer coming in. Sakuno was swept away by the sheer business their class got, adorned in a cute pink and black gothic Lolita dress, cat ears added for a more Halloween effect. "Ryuzaki-san, order for table five!" One of her classmates called, and Sakuno quickly ran over to pick it up and deliver it.

Sakuno and Echizen Ryoma had officially entered high school, after Ryoma was pounced to death by his senpai. They were a couple weeks into the school year, a little surprised when they suddenly had a school festival to plan so soon. Apparently, this school was very famous for their many school festivals, and so Sakuno found her class doing a Halloween-type cosplay café. She was nominated for a waitress, as the other girls in her class found her absolutely adorable (and they wanted to watch her squirm because they were jealous of her and Ryoma's close relationship).

Speaking of Ryoma, he was nowhere to be seen in his vampire (Count Dracula?) costume.

"Ryuzaki-san, are you going to be on your break soon?" One of the girls asked, dressed in a witch costume. Sakuno placed the order on the table, telling the customers to enjoy their meals and skirting over to her classmate with a little confused look. The little black bell collar around her neck jingled as she moved, causing other people to look up and follow her movement (Ryoma wasn't the only one getting attention from other students).

"W-well, if you don't need me for a little while…" Sakuno said, blushing a little and looking down. Her classmate smiled, giggling a little at the other girl's cuteness (and wondering if that was what Ryoma saw in her). She reached out, putting a hand on Sakuno's shoulder.

"Well actually, we need more candy and it would be great if you went to the store to buy some more." She said, handing her a couple of bills. "If you can find Echizen-san on the way, that would be really helpful. He's been missing since this morning." Sakuno nodded, pocketing the yen and turning to head out, her little cat-tail swinging cutely behind her. Sakuno's classmate giggled again, wondering how someone could naturally be so _adorable_!

* * *

Sakuno hummed, her hands clasped in front of her as she walked along the halls of the school blissfully. She was in high school, with Ryoma no less! Their relationship was progressing (kind of slowly) but indefinitely. Ryoma was beginning to open up to her, really talk to her about things in his life. Sakuno felt so privileged to be able to hear him say so much in such a small amount of time, and about things so personal to him. She was sure not even Momoshiro knew this much. It made her feel, for lack of a better word, _special_.

Sighing in happiness, Sakuno veered out of the school and past the water taps, turning a corner to make a shortcut to the market. Only, there was something scandalous going on!

"_Ryoma-kun!_" Sakuno gasped, her finger shooting up as she pointed at him. "Why are you eating the café's candy?!"

Ryoma was in the middle of throwing a little ball of candy in his mouth, which was wide open to catch the sugary confectionary. Sakuno could see his fake fangs, tinged red with fake blood, peeking out from underneath his upper lip and the golden of his eyes look at her in surprise. Sakuno thought he must've felt warm in his black suit and Dracula cape, a contrast to her short gothic dress.

"Ah, Ryuzaki?" Ryoma muttered, after throwing the piece of candy in his mouth and chewing it. Sakuno sweatdropped a little, knowing it was _so _like Ryoma to continue doing something criminal (like stealing candy and eating it in front of her) after being accused of that same crime. He was either very thickheaded, or just apathetic.

"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, pouting. "You can't steal the café's candy and eat it. It's for the customers!" She tapped her foot, crossing her arms as she tried her best to glare _and _pout at him. It only ended up making her look much cuter than before, given she was wearing a cat-esque costume. Ryoma stifled a grin, shrugging his shoulders and replying with something Sakuno never knew about before.

"I like candy. And I _don't _like sharing." Okay well, the 'no sharing' part she knew, but the candy part? Not so much. As a result, Sakuno's eyes went very wide, and she began to stifle snickers and giggles that burst out of her mouth. Ryoma glared at her, albeit half-seriously because she was too cute to really frighten.

"Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said, after calming down and smothering the rest of her laughter. "Is there any way for me to get the candy back?" Ryoma seemed to think for a second, already reaching into the bag. He stopped suddenly, taking his hand out and closing the bag with unhurried movements, worrying Sakuno for some while.

"There is one thing." Ryoma said, motioning Sakuno closer. Gulping a bit, the girl did as she was told, inching closer in her cute black ballet flats, decorated with pink bows and adorning knee-high black socks under that. When she got close enough, Ryoma said, "close your eyes", to which she did obediently, albeit nervously. The candy bag, crinkling, was gently eased into her hands. The next second, nothing happened, and Sakuno would've opened her eyes if she didn't hear Ryoma whisper to keep them closed.

She jumped a little, feeling Ryoma's hand touch her cheek. He whispered again ("Relax…"), and Sakuno melted at the husky, sexy tone in his voice. She leaned unconsciously into his hand, her cheek rubbing against the naked skin of his palm. Ryoma chuckled a bit as she did that, shivers running up her spine. Sakuno's heart beat quickly, anticipating what was to come next. And while her expectations were not fulfilled, it was certainly still very worth it.

Ryoma bit her.

Not in that _actual _sense of course, but the tips of his fangs were tinged red, and when they had met the porcelain skin of her neck, they left small but noticeable red dots that made it seem like Sakuno had been bitten.

Obviously, Sakuno didn't know that his fangs left marks until the school festival was over, and she went into the washroom to tidy up. When she noticed them, a few girls who were previously customers of the café giggled, mortifying her and causing her to run out of the washroom and shout at Ryoma with flushed cheeks. Unluckily, it was in front of her _entire_ class, so now Sakuno was officially graced with the nickname "Count Ryoma's Bride".

'_Mou, Ryoma-kun!!_'

_

* * *

A/N _Fourteenth drabble out!

My inspiration for this drabble came from my dear friend (not the one who helped me with drabble six and thirteen). We came up with the idea when it was near Halloween, hence the Halloween-themed cafe. I had a lot of fun writing this one =3

Review for a yummy desert crepe! (I love crepes XD)

Snowflake Flower


	15. Nap

**36 Drabbles**

**15: Nap**

Echizen Ryoma loved naps. After training so strenuously in tennis everyday with his father, the prince of tennis believed it was only fair for him to be able to catch some z's. And really, that was what his lunchtimes were for. After ingesting the needed supplement for his body, Ryoma took the last ten minutes of the period napping on Ryuzaki Sakuno's lap. (Which he found to be _very _comfortable.)

The little routine started during their third year of middle school together, and naturally went on to their first year of high school. For a couple weeks, it was same old, same old. But then something changed…

--

--

--

Ryoma yawned, stretching his arms as he leaned back to rest his head on Sakuno's lap. He could hear her fiddling with the lunch boxes, probably arranging them in the handkerchief so they wouldn't somehow fall out. It did take long though, and soon Ryoma felt her lithe fingers running through his hair. At this point, Ryoma would fall asleep because her grooming was so relaxing, except… he didn't.

Instead, the smell of something sweet invaded his nose, making him wrinkle it. He faintly thought it smelled sugary, but changed his mind and realized it smelled _fruity_. Like… cherries? No, raspberries! No, that's not it either…

Sakuno's hands reached forward, brushing away a few strands of Ryoma's messy hair. The smell became stronger, for a second, but that second was all he needed.

'_Strawberries._'

And for the remainder of lunch, Ryoma just stayed awake, the sweet smell of strawberries captivating his nose. He would never know that this event would turn into an obsession, and he would spend every lunch hour pretending to sleep, taking deep breaths to capture the most of the sweet scent. Even more, he would soon realize that napping was very difficult without remembering the scent of the strawberries, the feel of her fingers running through his hair. And then anything involving sleep in general would be impossible if he couldn't feel her beside him, her shallow breaths the lullaby that would finally let him sink into the oblivion of dreams.

_

* * *

A/N _Yes, I know its _really _short, but I figured short and sweet was good, right?

My inspiration for this chapter stemmed mainly from showing Ryoma's developing feelings for Sakuno. (Don't worry, they'll get together sooner or later.) Of course, this chapter doesn't explain much about his _feelings_, but like I said before, Ryoma is quite a hard character for me to write, so I tried to go with something subtle.

Review for some pocky!

Snowflake Flower


	16. Gaze

**36 Drabbles**

**16: Gaze**

"You are your greatest critic", unless you're a narcissist. Which Echizen Ryoma was not. He was merely confident in his abilities as a tennis player; that's all. But he knew one person who fit the description of self-critic _very_ well, and that was little miss Ryuzaki Sakuno, pretty much the only girl he willingly made contact with. And who wouldn't? Though she was shy, she was quiet, unlike her best friend and all the other annoying loud girls in the school. That was one reason, but the other that Ryoma would never admit to anyone (maybe even including himself), is that she was too cute.

…

You didn't hear that.

_Why _is she **_cute?_** Have you even _met _her? The girl is the _**epitome** _of cute! You can't say _cute _without saying _Sakuno_, you just can't!

Cute Sakuno.

Cute… Sakuno.

Cute…S-…Sakuno.

See?!

Now that begs the question: if Ryoma thinks she's cute (y'know, the Echizen Ryoma who only cares about tennis and Karupin?) than what of other boys? What do you mean you don't know?! I just told you the answer! Were you even paying _attention_? Oh, reading isn't your thing? Okay, I'll put it in mathematical terms.

Sakuno = cute.

Cute Sakuno + boys and thinking = DUH!

Capiche? Now let's add a little more to the equation…

Cute Sakuno + boys thinking she's cute = boys staring.

Cute Sakuno + boys staring = jealous Ryoma.

Cute Sakuno + boys staring + one boy trying to make a move = jealous Ryoma turned _possessive!_

See where I'm going with this?

Now you're probably wondering, what about Sakuno? Does _she _think Ryoma is cute?

Hell no!

Ryoma is the complete OPPOSITE of cute. Whereas boys look at Sakuno and dream of having a damsel-in-distress girlfriend (like Sakuno), girls look at Ryoma and dream of having _THE _coolest and sexiest and HOTTEST boyfriend **EVER**!! (Like Ryoma.) So it isn't much of a surprise to _anyone _if this happens:

Ryoma = cool.

Cool Ryoma = girls staring.

Cool Ryoma + girls staring = doubtful Sakuno.

Doubtful Sakuno = cuter Sakuno.

Cuter Sakuno + more boys staring = very **_very _**angry Ryoma.

Very **_very _**angry Ryoma = flying tennis balls.

Flying tennis balls + boys staring at cuter Sakuno = Simply put? Chaos.

* * *

"Really, what did you do _this _time Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked, helping him pick up the wayward tennis balls. Ryuzaki Sumire, Sakuno's grandmother, decided she couldn't _suspend _the captain of the tennis team, so she merely forced him to do first-year chores for the rest of the week. Sakuno had _no clue_ why he was punished as he always just ignored her questions and concentrated on finishing his punishment and going home.

Sakuno sighed, waiting as Ryoma picked up the last of the tennis balls and shoved them into the storage room, coming out with his tennis bag and letting Sakuno catch up before they left the school together. Though Ryoma's house was in the _other _direction, he still walked her home, something that always sent Sakuno's heart fluttering. Their trips were always silent, Sakuno too shy to start a conversation (their first "date" together was a complete disaster) and Ryoma not really noticing the awkwardness between then (being the aloof and dense prince he was). But maybe not this time…

"Ne, Ryuzaki?" Ryoma said suddenly, making her jump a little.

"H-hai?" She stuttered, her head swivelling to the side to look at him. His head was tipped down, eyes shadowed by his white Fila cap. Sakuno was a little apprehensive. When his eyes were covered, it usually meant he was trying to hide something, and/or he needed to talk about something serious.

"You always call me Ryoma-kun."

Sakuno blinked. "Y-yes, I do." she answered. A faint pink suddenly appeared on his cheeks, though only half of the full blush was seen because of the hat shadowing the top of his face. But then he lifted his head, the full blush displayed on his cheeks as he turned towards her, making her stop and flush bright red as well. She stood captivated by his amber eyes, and he by her caramel ones. Ryoma held Sakuno's gaze for a long time, not blinking, until the reason for his previous statement came bursting out.

"So… I'm allowed to call you Sakuno, right?"

They would never know that her answer to his question would ultimately bring about more staring from their fellow students, but who was to say they cared anymore? Because this advancement in their relationship ultimately led to the fruition of Sakuno (and Ryoma's) dreams. Which dream, you ask? All will be explained in due time.

For now, just remember this last equation.

_Sakuno + Ryoma = Forevermore._

_

* * *

A/N _Sixteenth drabble out! Sorry to all of those who hate math, but I was in a very humorous mood, heehee!

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly going to just be people staring at Sakuno/Ryoma, and the two of them getting jealous and not noticing that they themselves were being stared at. It kinda went in another direction, but I'm quite happy with it! And yes, the third last paragraph is foreshadowing at a future drabble, which will be coming _very _soon. Look forward to it!

And review for a muffin! (I like carrot muffins, how about you?)

Snowflake Flower


	17. Twilight

**36 Drabbles**

**17: Twilight**

For Sakuno, twilight was always a very beautiful time of day. Luckily for her, it occurred twice a day; once as the sun set and once as the sun rose. Sakuno always stayed up late and woke up early to see the twilight hours, as she could very well consider it her favourite time of the day. And as an artist, the twilight was too beautiful to _not _paint. So whenever desire struck her, she would sit outside her house during twilight and paint the sight with what little time she had. They were always very quick; a stroke of orange here, a dash of yellow there, throw in some red for a dramatic effect and she was done! It never took her very long, and that was how she liked it.

But her mind changed during a particular sunset, when she peeked out of the house for a quick look of the twilight. It cast gorgeous oranges, reds, and yellows all across the sky, taking Sakuno's breath away. It was very rare for twilight to cast such brilliant colours and shades, so Sakuno took out her camera and snapped two quick shots for reference later. The second shot was always a backup, in case her hand was shaky on the first shot.

Pictures taken, Sakuno hurried back inside, shutting the front door behind her and not noticing the black blur bounding away into the night.

* * *

"Thank you very much." Sakuno said, bowing as she accepted her developed photos from across the counter. Luckily, the two photos she had taken were the last spots available on her roll of film, and she was able to develop them the very next day. Sakuno always went to the camera shop near her house, partially because it was close and partially because a sweet old man worked there. He recognized her the instant she walked in (her grandmother, Sumire, supposedly looked exactly like her when she was young) and offered her a freshly baked cookie his wife made him. She graciously accepted one as she waited for her photos to develop.

"Sakuno-chan has such a talent for artistic things." The old man (Hideaki-san) said as he handed Sakuno her bundle of photos. She blushed darkly, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"I only take these photos as references for pictures I'm going to paint." Sakuno said. Hideaki hummed and nodded a little, taking a bite of his cookie. He seemed deep in thought, but then again that was how he always looked.

"I see… I see… You will show me these paintings, yes Sakuno-chan? I really want to see the one with that striking young lad in it. Sakuno-chan has never drawn a man before…" Sakuno blinked in confusion. Did she accidentally take a picture of someone without knowing? Deciding she'd check that particular detail when she got home, Sakuno bid Hideaki goodbye and left before it got too late.

* * *

"Hideaki-san was right." Sakuno breathed.

The minute she got home, Sakuno threw off her coat and shoes and dashed up to her bedroom, sitting at her desk and leafing through her photos. All of them looked fine, exactly wwhat she had wanted to paint a picture of; all except one.

It was the very last of her photos, the painting of the gorgeous twilight she wanted to do. She took two photos of it, and the first was precisely what the scene looked like when she snapped the shot, but the second had the shadow of a man standing off to the side, the only thing visible on his face his golden yellow eyes.

And Sakuno could only stare at the glowing orbs that seemed to be alive in an object that was inanimate. A little shiver ran through her body, and she piled the other pictures on top of that one. Putting them all back in their package, Sakuno shoved them into her desk drawer and decided to hold off on that particular painting project.

But the golden eyes continued to burn brightly in her mind.

* * *

For a few weeks, things had been pretty quiet. Sakuno went to work everyday (she was a teacher at a local elementary school, and taught private art classes after school) and came home everyday normally. She still had loads of papers to mark, a few paintings to finish so she could submit them into art contests and bills to pay. The only thing that was different? Those golden eyes that nagged her at every possible opportunity.

Sakuno sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she neared the front gates of her house, with a stone wall erected around her house to prevent intruders. Sakuno was lucky enough to find such a nice house in a good neighbourhood with her paycheck. It was close to work, and had a perfect view of the twilight. Sakuno couldn't have asked for anything better (except maybe a little excitement in her life… a boyfriend?).

She turned the corner, walking along the stone walls to her front gate, her eyes busy as she searched through her purse for her keys. It always baffled her how even though she put about a _million _key chains on that thing, she still couldn't find it in her teeny purse! Of course… then finding her keys became the least of her concerns.

"Just the person I've been looking for…"

With a little 'meep', Sakuno found herself pinned against the stone wall of her house, looking up into the same golden eyes that had distracted her for weeks on end. They burned brighter, _much _brighter, than their photographic counterpart. So bright, Sakuno flinched when she stared into them too long. Instead, her eyes wandered to the rest of his face, once shrouded in mystery. It reminded her a bit of a cat, especially his eyes.

"C-can I help you?" Sakuno sputtered, cheeks burning as she saw her position. Oh, if her students saw her like this! He was trapping her against the wall, arms splayed on either side of her body to prevent escape. And he was close; so _very _close. So incredibly close, Sakuno could see two fangs poking out as he smiled deviously, the teeth sparkling in the twilight. They certainly didn't look like fake fangs, but they had to be… right?

Because only people with fangs are _vampires_.

And _vampires _are myths.

Right?

"Now then, Sakuno-koi (_love_), you have something I want."

And Sakuno could only hope he was talking about the picture she took a few weeks ago.

* * *

Ryoma groaned, eyes cracking open as the first few rays of sunlight made their way into his room. Karupin was nestled at the foot of his bed meowing and peeking an eye open to stare at her master. When it was apparent he wasn't going to relinquish the rest his bed for her to occupy, she merely closed her eye and went back to sleep. Ryoma just sat up, rubbing his eyes and wondering what the hell he just dreamt. Seriously, calling her '_Sakuno-_**_koi_**'?! For a while, Ryoma just sat there in deep thought before he came to a conclusion.

"I really need to tell her."

* * *

With a startled gasp, Sakuno's eyes shot open as her alarm clock beep, signalling it was time for her to get up and go to school. Breathing heavily in bed for a little, her body completely drenched in sweat, Sakuno groaned and sat up to rub her forehead. The morning air was cool on her skin, sending tingles up her spine and making her shiver a little. Something told Sakuno that it wasn't the air, though. Shaking her head to get rid of any leftover sleepiness, Sakuno's eyes flickered to the book on her night table and glared at it.

"I am _never _reading '_Twilight_' before I go to bed again."

_

* * *

A/N _Seventeenth drabble out! And yes, I just _had _to make a Twilight reference! I laughed so hard when I saw the theme for this drabble, XD. (PS, I don't own the Twilight saga.) (And if you're wondering why I'm not putting a P.o.T disclaimer, its cause I think its pretty obvious I don't make money off this fic when I posted it in the anime fanfiction section under Prince of Tennis.)

My inspiration for this drabble mainly came from my dear friend (the one who helped with the drabble "Candy") who said it would be funny if I did something related to vampires. I thought it was pretty undoable, since I was trying to keep this as canon as possible, but then I thought about an episode from Danny Phantom (yes I watch it, yes I think its awesome) where the pairing in the show have the same dream for some odd reason. And then I decided having a dream about being a vampire (or meeting one) is okay, because dreams are random like that, so I applied it to this drabble and this is the result! =)

Oh, and if enough people want me to, I've been thinking about taking this particular idea and making it into a full-blown story. So please tell me if you want me to continue it (and please be prepared to wait. I have a lot of things I need to do already). Which also I'd like to ask if you want it to have a lemon (cause I can't think "vampires" without thinking "smex" XD.)

That's it! Review for some cupcakes!

Snowflake Flower


	18. Tears

**36 Drabbles**

**18: Tears**

"Girls are so emotional." Echizen Nanjiroh moaned as his wife, Echizen Rinko, stomped away in a huff. Echizen Ryoma, Nanjiroh's four-year-old son, sat beside him loosely holding a tennis racket with both hands. There were tennis balls scattered all over the grassy floor, and one had to be careful or they would trip trying to make their way across it. In fact, Rinko had just tripped on one a few minutes prior, which led to a harsh scolding directed at Nanjiroh for not being neat enough. He had cowered under her fiery gaze, growing exasperated as her tirade finished and she left. The young Ryoma merely sat there, glad that his mother's temper was not directed at him… for the moment.

"Mommy sad?" Ryoma asked, looking up at his father. Usually, when his old man said something like that it was after any sort of woman cried for no apparent reason (or at least, reasons Ryoma himself could never come to understand). Of course, all of his experience with crying women came from the television (or the "cool box" that showed tennis matches) when his mom decided to watch weird shows (which he soon would learn were called "soap operas" or "dramas"). At his young and naïve age, Ryoma didn't really know what "emotional" meant, because no one bothered to explain it to him. So he did a little snooping. After careful deduction and lots of research (coming from his dad, of course), Ryoma concluded that "emotional" obviously meant "sad".

Nanjiroh looked down at his prodigal son, letting out a little chuckle and ruffling his ebony locks. He couldn't help but think to himself that his son would grow up to be a handsome man, who would probably have to fend the ladies off with a stick.

'_Just like his old man…_'

Of course, no one expected Ryuzaki Sakuno to be thrown into the mix and change _everything_.

* * *

Grumbling, Ryoma's cat-like golden eyes blinked open, taking in the sight of his dad's big, wide grin.

"Wakey, wakey Ryoma!" Nanjiroh chanted, choking in pain as he son promptly gave his father a swift kick in the loins. Nanjiroh rolled off the bed, clutching his "family jewels" and crying out how Ryoma could be so cruel to his father. Ryoma, hearing all of this as he threw the covers off and let his feet touch the cold wooden floor, glared at the ex-samurai on the floor with tears in his eyes.

"Then don't try to wake me up like that next time, baka oyaji." Ryoma said, getting up and making his way to the washroom. Karupin followed behind her master, turning to look at Nanjiroh and meowing loudly, as if to say he was a stupid old man to piss Ryoma off in the morning. Nanjiroh just glared at the Himalayan cat, almost to say he wasn't going to play with her anymore because she was being mean. And at that look (threat?), Karupin just meowed again and swished her brown tail from side to side right in his face, making him sputter from the loose cat hairs that stuck to him.

"Why you…" Nanjiroh growled, getting on all fours and trying to pounce on the feline. Karupin hissed, bounding away quickly as the crazy old man followed her.

* * *

"Good morning Ryoma-kun." Sakuno greeted, walking out of her house as she saw Ryoma standing on the sidewalk outside the gate. Ryoma waved his hand, the other holding onto the strap of his tennis bag.

"Yo." He replied. The both of them headed to school together, the eyes of a few girls that went to school early following their every movement. It was not private information that Ryoma was one of the most wanted boys in school, so it came as a little of a shock to Sakuno when not one of them confessed to him, or asked him out, or tried to seduce him, etc. Of course, she would soon find out from Tomoka that it was because everyone thought _she _was his girlfriend, which both flustered and appalled her.

"B-but I'm not Ryoma-kun's girlfriend!" Sakuno protested to Tomoka. They had been separated and weren't in the same class anymore (although she and Ryoma were). Tomoka gave her this look as if she didn't believe her or she thought Sakuno was joking. Slapping her hands on her hips, Tomoka glared at Sakuno, who cowered a little under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Pft, come on Sakuno-chan. You're obviously _hiding _your relationship. You spend every lunch hour with him, you guys always walk _to _and _from _school together, and some people have even seen you together on Saturday's!" Sakuno blushed faintly at Tomoka's accusations, unable to deny any of them. She made lunch for Ryoma and spent that hour with him all the time, she did walk to school and back with Ryoma, and because of her private tennis lessons, Sakuno also spent a few hours of her Saturday with him. How was she going to convince them she wasn't dating Ryoma?

Well, let's just say it became an impossible feat once the rumour became reality.

* * *

Enter Yamashiro Aimi. She was the most wanted girl in the entire school, because of her job as a professional model. Since she was young Aimi was a very outgoing and pretty girl, so she was cast to model in an advertisement for Lolita clothing. Since then, her career skyrocketed and now at the age of fifteen, Aimi was a successful model posing for high-class products and clothing companies. She was ten times more beautiful than any girl in the school, including Sakuno (or at least, that's what she thought).

Aimi usually came late to school, and was always excused because of her model-like lifestyle. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter, and that was how the young model had come to expect it. So when she first laid eyes of Echizen Ryoma, she expected the young man to fall at her heels and beg her to date him. Only he didn't.

And that infuriated her.

He was this rising tennis star, who would probably be at the top of the world once he graduated high school and began to promote himself. So Aimi naturally thought them to be the _perfect _couple (but she thought that about every guy she set her sights on before), and when she went up to him and flicked her _gorgeous _hair, batting her pretty eyelashes, Aimi expected him to fall head over heels in love with her.

But Ryoma just looked at her like she was crazy, holding a can of ponta and taking a sip of it.

"What do you want?" He asked bluntly, clearly not interested. Aimi, a little confused at his behaviour, leaned forward a bit to see if showing her cleavage would help him come to terms with his feelings faster. He just kept looking at her with his apathetic eyes. It didn't help once Sakuno entered the picture, a little out of breath as she had ran all over the school looking for him.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed once spotting him. "Ryoma-kun, Tezuka-senpai said tennis practice is cancelled for today." She ran up to stand beside him, her hands clutched at her chest. Ryoma, interest piqued now that Sakuno was here, turned to her and ignored the successfully beautiful model standing before him, trying to dazzle him with her beauty. To him, Sakuno was much more intriguing than a spoiled brat.

"Hn. Let's go then." Ryoma said, walking off in the direction of Sakuno's home. The young Ryuzaki followed as she always did, turning to nod politely at Aimi. When they turned the corner, Aimi saw red.

"I _will _make you mine, Echizen Ryoma."

* * *

Ryoma was not amused.

Sakuno was mysteriously avoiding him and a strange girl with too much makeup on was clinging to him at every chance. Naturally, Ryoma didn't realize this girl was Aimi, because he had such horrible memory with anything not concerning him, or Sakuno. All Ryoma knew was he was getting seriously annoyed. Sakuno didn't join him for lunch, although he did see his bento sitting on his desk, and went to eat it on the roof. Aimi caught him there, trying to shove her own homemade bento into his hands, but he merely brushed her off. She was also walking beside him in the school and clinging to his arm every chance she got, and Ryoma noticed some of the whispers and stares directed at the two of them.

His patience finally snapped after school, when he saw Sakuno and met eyes with her, only to have her turn tail and run.

Flinging Aimi's irritating arm off his own, Ryoma took off after the pig-tailed girl.

* * *

"Sakuno!"

She would not stop.

"_Sakuno!!_"

She would not falter.

"**_Sakuno!!!_**"

_She would not be caught._

Gasping, Sakuno was abruptly stopped when she felt Ryoma's warm (yet cold) hand grab her arm, tugging her around to face him and stop running. She refused to look at his face, panting deeply and keeping her tear-filled gaze directly on the ground. Ryoma's eyes were narrowed, not bothering to acknowledge the crowd gathering round them (Aimi, Tomoka, the Freshman Trio and his senpai included in that crowd).

"What's going on?" Ryoma demanded to know, lips pursed in a scowl. Sakuno flinched at his hard tone, her body trembling a little. Some tears slipped out, colouring the ground a few shades darker. Ryoma's eyes flickered to the ground for a second, a little apprehensive about making her cry.

"I'd ask you the same question." Sakuno sniffled, her fist clenching. Ryoma didn't like her ambiguous answer, preferring things to be crystal clear and blunt (kind of like he was). So he tugged on her arm a little harder, making her struggle to maintain a more distant length from him. His senpai standing in the crowd were a little worried, Kikumaru's bottom lip quivering a bit in suspense. Tomoka stood beside him, wanting to run out and tell Sakuno everything but Horio, Katsuo, and Kachirou holding her back.

"Don't play games with me Sakuno." Ryoma warned, surprised when she suddenly lashed out at him.

"_THEN DON'T PLAY WITH MY HEART!!_" She screamed, the tears running freely as her teeth grit in frustration. A sob choked from her throat, and she tried to clear away the tears. "Don't… don't give me special treatment when you're going to be with another girl, a girl that _I _could never even _dream _of standing up to. I'm… I'm not so weak-hearted as to _die _if you told me you were going to be with Aimi-san." Sakuno told him, though it was far from the truth. Aimi looked almost smug at this point, a few girls sending her nasty looks, Tomoka in particular.

But Ryoma was unbelievably confused.

"Who's Aimi?"

The model face-faulted, not believing someone could _forget_ her after only a day. Sakuno just looked up at Ryoma, also confused.

"A-Aimi-san is your _girlfriend_ Ryoma-kun. I saw you walking in the hallway together." Sakuno explained to him, twiddling her fingers nervously. She could feel Aimi's anger radiating from behind her, and hoped she wouldn't act out of turn. Ryoma just rose a brow, chuckling.

"That annoying girl? I have no idea who she is." Tomoka whooped in joy, and Aimi almost fainted, a few boys catching her before she hit the ground. Sakuno's head popped up in hope, her brown eyes wide. Ryoma, deciding now was as great a time as ever (making it public would be faster, as it would discourage all the boys who he was sure had their eyes set on her), and stepped a tad close to Sakuno, hands tucked in his pockets.

"But… I do know who you are." Ryoma said, smirking. Sakuno blinked in confusion, tilting her head to the side cutely. Ryoma just chuckled. "Who are you, Sakuno? Who are you to me?" and Sakuno's lips pursed as she tried to think.

"Your cook?"

"And…"

"Your best friend?" At this, Momo choked a little form behind Ryoma.

"And…"

"Ah… your student?"

"Guess again Sakuno."

"Ano… "

Ryoma's eye twitched a little, wondering how on earth everyone thought _he _was dense. Leaning down, Ryoma's hand cupped Sakuno's cheek and he softly pressed his lips to hers, ignoring the gasp resounding throughout the entire crowd and Aimi's choked scream. He heard his senpai's whistles and catcalls, ignoring those to the best of his ability, though they were extremely loud and demanded attention.

Parting reluctantly from Sakuno's soft, soft lips, Ryoma smirked at her astounded facial expression. "Be mine, Sakuno." He said, almost demanding that she follow his command. Sakuno burst into a new set of tears, her choked "yes" coming out as she tackled him. Having saw that coming, Ryoma merely stumbled a bit and hugged her tightly to him, smirking.

"Girls are so emotional." He muttered.

And a little father away, sporting a pair of smart-looking sunglasses (not really) stood Echizen Nanjiroh, holding in one arm the Himalayan cat Karupin, who was meowing at her master's happiness. A very reminiscent smirk was on his face, one that was very similar to the one his son had right now, a smirk that soon turned into a smile. Ryoma would never know that his smile was exactly like his father's when _he _had asked Rinko to be his. And he would never know that many of his smiles and smirks and grins were once worn by his own father, who had paved the way for him to climb to the top of the world, and take that one special girl with him.

And Nanjiroh's smirk changed into a heartfelt smile that conveyed his sense of fatherly pride.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, son."

_

* * *

A/N _And the awaited eighteenth drabble! Ryoma and Sakuno _finally _get together!! 8D

My inspiration came from the line, "Girls are so emotional." I thought it was something Ryoma would say to Sakuno once she started crying after he asked her out, so obviously Nanjiroh would say it too, right? Aimi was created because I needed her as a sort of obstacle or conflict, but she'll be making a returning appearance _very _late in the timeline. Look forward to it! (Because yes, she will be dissed again.) And I know Sakuno seems a bit OOC in this drabble, but I figure she's grown really close to Ryoma through these two years, so she became more confident (especially around him). It just kinda... _fit _to have her screaming at Ryoma about breaking her heart. Plus, no one likes their feelings to be played, why would Sakuno be any different?

I'd love feedback! And please answer my previous question in drabble 17! (Depending on your answer, the continuation will come sooner or later after I finish the 36 drabbles). That reminds me, I'm halfway done! Yaayy~!

Review for more RyoSaku fluff~!

Snowflake Flower


	19. Mada Mada Dane

**36 Drabbles**

**19: Mada Mada Dane**

Momoshiro Takeshi prided himself on many things. His power tennis, being able to eat tons of hamburgers and not gain an ounce of fat, being able to run thirty laps without dieing in dehydration, his rocking intelligence in mathematics, and his smooth moves with the ladies (read: Ann). Teaching was not one of them, unfortunately, because his kouhai needed a serious crash course in the art of being a boyfriend!

Echizen Ryoma, said kouhai needing serious lessons in the art of dating, and Ryuzaki Sakuno, the sweet girl with whom said kouhai was dating, were merely two months into their relationship. Via intelligence from an anonymous source (read: Tomoka) Momoshiro had the feeling his kouhai wasn't being very boyfriend-like, and on a reconnaissance mission the day before, he affirmed the information to be accurate.

Translated into English? Momoshiro spied on Ryoma's date with Sakuno yesterday, and found _zilch._

No hugs, no kisses, not even handholding! His stupid kouhai just kept his hands in his pockets, looking positively bored as Sakuno walked meekly beside him, holding onto their bentos. And guess what they're "date" was. A freaking tennis lesson and then lunch with Sakuno's homemade bento! Sure, you would've thought the lunch would be pretty lovey-dovey, but _nooooo_. His kouhai finished his bento, waited for Sakuno to finish hers, and then stood up and proclaimed the tennis lesson to continue.

"How can he be so stupid!?" Momoshiro ranted to the Freshman Trio and Osakada Tomoka, who was pouting a little at her friends misfortune. Horio, Katsuo, and Kachirou were looking at each other nervously.

"Echizen-kun doesn't really strike me as a romantic person, Momo-chan-senpai." Kachirou said, cowering a little at the furious face his senpai sprouted. But then realization crossed his face, and he smacked a fist into his palm.

"Of course! Echizen hasn't really had much to care about aside from tennis, so obviously he's totally clueless in this area!" Momoshiro said, starting to think. "Teaching him won't work; he's like a brick in that area, and I'm not such a great teacher." Momoshiro winced, remembering an instant in his childhood where his acting as teacher failed miserably (something about tennis balls, a racket, and an irate younger sister). "Hmm… " Tomoka sighed exasperatedly, slamming her hand in the middle of the table loudly, and drawing attention from the other customers in the burger place. A quick glare sent them all minding their own business, and Tomoka leaned down with a triumphant smirk on her lips.

"I have an idea."

* * *

Ryoma was confused.

Very, very confused.

It was a leisurely Saturday morning, and the young Echizen had decided to call his girlfriend to tell her to get ready because he was coming over for their tennis lesson. She had just picked up the phone, and he was about to say hello when her hurried, apologetic voice filtered over from the other end.

"Ryoma-kun, I'm so sorry but I have something I need to do today! We're going to have to cancel the tennis lesson, I'm sorry!" And without letting him respond, the line abruptly cut off. Ryoma had sat on his bed and stared at his phone for the next five minutes, Karupin curled up near his feet and looking up at him wondering what was so interesting about the strange contraption he held in his hand. Then Ryoma shrugged, throwing the phone on his bed and flopping back to catch a few catnaps.

"Ryoma~!"

He groaned. "What?" His father, Echizen Nanjiroh, burst into the room with a smile plastered over his scruffy face. He jumped onto Ryoma's bed, sending the phone clattering to the floor and scaring Karupin. The momentum shot Ryoma's body up in the air, and he landed back on the bed with an "oof".

"We're out of milk. Go buy some." Ryoma glared at his father, turning away to try and take a nap.

"You go get some." Nanjiroh grinned a mischievous grin, turning and getting up. He shoved his hands into the sleeves of his yukata, closing his eyes as he meandered out of the room.

"Alright… I just wanted to ask you first, since I saw Sakuno-chan walk past our house with _another boy~!_"

He felt a breeze then, and opened his eyes to see his son dart down the stairs and out the door. Chuckling, Nanjiroh scratched the itch at the back of his head.

* * *

Ryoma was angry.

Very, _very _angry.

Sakuno had mentioned to him that she had something she needed to do today. She apparently forgot to add that it was with _Momo-senpai_. She obviously didn't realize that she would be _laughing _and _talking _and **_flirting _**with him. She didn't think that she would be _holding hands with him _and _running_, or that Momo-senpai would give her a piggyback. And there was _never _a thought in her head that she would give him **_a kiss on the cheek. _**

What was he, chopped liver?

* * *

"I had a really fun time, Momo-senpai." Sakuno said, giggling as she readied herself to bid Momoshiro goodbye. The senpai laughed, rubbing the back of his head and shrugging.

"Maybe we can do this again, sometime Sakuno-chan. I never thought you to be the _naughty _type." At this, a brilliant blush appeared over Sakuno's cheeks, and she looked to the ground in embarrassment.

"M-Momo-senpai! It was an accident!" She protested, placing her hands on her red cheeks. Momoshiro laughed loudly, patting her head.

"That's what they _all _say."

"Who's _they_?"

Sakuno froze, recognizing the voice instantly and registering the furious tone behind it. She turned around quickly, hands up in the air like she was caught red-handed. Momoshiro just stood there, a smug little grin on his face as he saw a Fila cap wearing freshman glaring daggers at him.

"R-Ryoma-kun!"

"Yo, Ryoma!"

"_Momoshiro_. Sakuno." Momoshiro pouted, crossing his arms at the younger boy.

"What, no honorific? I'm your senpai y'know, you should respect me!" Momoshiro said, wagging his finger at his kouhai. Ryoma just continued to glare at him, arms crossed and not budging a single bit.

"You will be respected _when I deem you respectable_, bastard." Ryoma growled, Sakuno's gasp igniting when she heard her boyfriend curse at his senpai. She stepped forward, a little scolding in her tone. Her pretty white dress swirled around her as the wind blew gently, and Ryoma's heart panged a little as he saw how pretty she looked. At how pretty she had made herself look for someone _other than him_.

"Ryoma-kun! You shouldn't talk to Momo-chan-senpai like that!" Ryoma's furious golden eyes swivelled on her, making her jump a little in fright at his hardened eyes. She had never had to see those eyes reflected at her, staring her down like a mighty predator of the jungle. It was not a pleasant place to be.

"_Momo-_**_chan_**_-senpai?!_" He hissed, very reminiscent of a cat. Ryoma rounded on Momoshiro, who still remained as calm and cool since Ryoma had appeared. In fact, there was a bright smile on his face, one that Ryoma could not stand looking at. It had screamed triumph, victory, superiority; it was infuriating. "Is this some sort of stupid _joke_, Momoshiro? Or maybe some long-held grudge from the first day we met?" At that, Momoshiro pretended to put on a confused, puppy-eyed look.

"Why, Ryoma, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"You _stealing _my girlfriend!"

And a gasp burst from both Sakuno and Momoshiro's lips. Sakuno's was surprised, shell-shocked, Momoshiro's was (obviously) faked. He even put his hand up to his mouth to cover his gasp, much like those women did in those old movies. But then his gasp turned into laughter, confusing Ryoma and further angering him.

"Momoshiro! There is _nothing_ to be laughing at!" He shouted, only to further amuse Momoshiro. His chuckling soon died down, and he peeked at Ryoma and Sakuno, who were both a little confused. Straightening up, Momoshiro pointed one finger at his kouhai, successfully not laughing as he delivered his line.

"Mada mada dane, Echizen."

And Ryoma, who was at first very confused, soon grew incredibly ashamed as he realized that Sakuno had only _accompanied _Momoshiro out this Saturday to help him pick out a present for his younger sister's birthday. He had invited her for lunch at a local café after, to thank her for giving up her time with Ryoma to help him. Sakuno had, being the clumsy girl she was, spilled coffee all over his pants and tried to help him clean it up. But then she realized where she was patting, and almost fainted from sunstroke.

Ryoma, a faint pink now flittered across his cheeks, tugged his Fila cap down and turned away. Sakuno was tugged away by him, hurriedly bidding Momoshiro goodbye as she was pulled away forcibly. Ryoma turned his head a little to the side, to make his voice heard clearly to his senpai.

"Che. Not bad, Momo-senpai."

Momoshiro just smirked, watching the two lovebirds walk away together, hand in hand.

'_Really Echizen… you still have lots to work on, ne?_'

_

* * *

A/N _Nineteenth out! The fated drabble after their get-together. Did it live up to drabble eighteen?

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly shoving Ryoma's own catchphrase in his face! And who better to do it than Momo-senpai? And what better reason than Ryoma's complete lack of romanticism?

Review for a doughnut with sprinkles on top!

Snowflake Flower


	20. Sigh

**36 Drabbles**

**20: Sighing**

It was a long, drawn-out, melancholy sigh. It was those kinds of sighs that longed for something more, whatever that something was. It was the sort of lovesick sigh Tomoka heard in romantic movies all the time, so hearing it come out of her best friend's mouth was a bit strange. Then again, once the Osakada thought it through, it wasn't that unusual. I mean, her boyfriend was _Echizen Ryoma_. Although Tomoka thought he was the most _gorgeous _and cool man to ever walk the earth, she admits that he was a total _brick _when it came to anything romantic. Or rather, when it came to anything concerning members of the opposite sex. For a long while, Tomoka had entertained the though of the prince being gay.

She suppressed a girlish squeal.

Compsoing herself, Tomoka turned her attention to her best friend, Ryuzaki Sakuno, who – once again, sighed a long, melancholy sigh. And Tomoka, being her caring (read: nosy) self, asked what was wrong.

"You should whip that boy into shape Sakuno!"

Okay… never mind.

Sakuno jumped a little at her friend's loud voice, spinning around to face her.

"W-what?" She asked, and Tomoka rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips to stare down at her best friend. Sakuno was a little unnerved, wondering where on earth her friend was going with this. Then again, Tomoka was a spontaneous and unpredictable girl, so Sakuno didn't really see anything out of character going on.

"Ryoma-sama is a very dense boy, Sakuno, so you should just straight out tell him to be affectionate, and loving, and romantic!" Tomoka exclaimed, throwing her hands up whenever she mentioned a characteristic her 'ideal' boyfriend was supposed to have. Sakuno's blush got deeper with every trait Tomoka named off, looking to the ground and trying to calm her red face.

"B-but Tomo-chan, I like Ryoma-kun the way he is." Sakuno stuttered, blushing redder than before. Tomoka gaped at her best friend, aghast that she would say something like that.

"_Cold _and _uncaring _and _a complete _**_brick _**_when it comes to anything romantic?!_"

Sakuno blinked once.

"A… brick?"

Tomoka ignored that.

"Sakuno!" The girl with the long pigtails jumped a little. "I _order _you to tell Ryoma to be more affectionate, and loving, and romantic!" Tomoka shouted, scaring Sakuno a little further and making her blush even deeper. She tried to protest, holding up a finger in her defense.

"B-but Tomo-chan-,"

Sakuno's braids have always been her trademark hairstyle, and Tomoka has never seen her friend experiment with new styles. As a result, she's found several ways of shutting her friend up when she needed to get a point across and Sakuno was being particularly stubborn. So Tomoka opted for her favourite way.

She pulled on Sakuno's braids.

"T-T-T-Tomo-chan! That hurts!" Sakuno exclaimed, Tomoka letting go with a little pout. She jabbed a finger in Sakuno's face, making the other girl wince a little at its closeness.

"I'm _ordering _you, Sakuno. **_Ordering._**" Sakuno opened her mouth to protest, but then saw the braid still clutched in Tomoka's other hand. She sighed, this time a defeated sigh.

"Yes Tomo-chan."

* * *

She was blushing.

Ryoma stared at his fairly recent girlfriend (they were about four months into their relationship, he didn't keep count) and studied the dark blush on her cheeks curiously. She blushed all the time, sure, but that was because she had a reason. For all Ryoma knew, she was blushing for a reason he was unaware of, and that brought about his possessive side. Was it about a guy?

"Sakuno."

She jumped at her name, making his suspicion grow. Ryoma's eyes narrowed, and he leaned closer to her on the bed. She moved back, hitting the headboard of his bed, unable to escape from his prowling eyes. "Sakuno…" his voice was low, warning-like. It sent shivers up her spine, and she flinched, turning her head away from his accusing gaze. Ryoma reached out, grabbing her chin with his fingers and forcing her to look at him. They held a mini staring contest, Sakuno's bottom lip quivering. When it didn't look like he was going to win anytime soon, Ryoma just frowned and leaned forward the rest of the way, bending his head to softly kiss her neck and send her gasping.

"Sakuno…" Ryoma said again, this time more huskily. Sakuno shuddered, hating it when he used that voice on her. It – as Tomoka would say, _oozed _sex.

"R-Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno sighed, her head unconsciously tilting back as Ryoma's mouth moved from her neck to her throat and her collarbone. She felt Ryoma's hands settle on her waist, slowly inching upwards into her shirt to splay themselves over her bare skin. His hands were warm, igniting her skin and making her clutch his shoulders fiercely. She felt Ryoma smile against her skin, and cursed his arrogance. Oh but what skilled arrogance it was, Sakuno feeling his tongue flick against the top of her shirt.

"Sakuno, why were you blushing?" Ryoma growled against her skin, his hands flexing against her back. Sakuno shivered, hearing the icy undertone in his voice. Her head turned away, and she pursed her lips in defiance.

"N-no reason." She muttered, gasping as Ryoma's teeth bit her shoulder lightly to show her he was serious. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, Sakuno gulped and said, "Tomo-chan wanted me to tell you to be more… romantic and l-loving and a-a-affectionate." Ryoma's lips paused in their exploration of her neck and shoulder, before she felt him smile against her skin deviously. She gulped again, dreading what was to come.

"Affectionate?" Ryoma's voice muttered from below her, and he chuckled slightly. "Alright then, guess I can't disappoint my girl friend's best friend…"

* * *

The next day, Ryuzaki Sakuno was seen blushing fiercely, talking to her best friend Osakada Tomoka and clutching a pink scarf tightly around her neck. She was making a few pointing motions at a spot on the scarf, before her friend burst into giddy squeals and Sakuno tried to bury herself under the ground in embarrassment.

It was also noted that Echizen Ryoma was listening as he walked back, and there was a devilish smirk on his feline face.

_

* * *

A/N _Twentieth drabble out! Some lime for all those perverts out there =3 (don't worry, I'm one too, =P)

My inspiration for this chapter was originally going to be Ryoma sighing, but I couldn't think of anything and decided to do Sakuno sighing instead. But then I sort of got the random idea to put Tomoka in there and scold Sakuno about Ryoma being unaffectionate. And THEN that sparked the whole lime scene. You like?

Review for some chocolate dipped strawberries!

Snowflake Flower


	21. I'm In A Pinch!

**36 Drabbles**

**21: I'm In A Pinch!**

"Mou… what do I do?" Ryuzaki Sakuno mumbled to herself, looking left and right down the sidewalk of the beach. She was dressed scantily, in a cute pink bikini Tomoka forced her to wear, a sheer magenta sarong wrapped around her waist. Her hair was wrapped tightly in her two braids, partly wet but drying thanks to the sun. A pair of magenta flip-flops were on her feet, the strap of the one on her right foot broken. If you looked closely enough, you could tell her ankle was a little swollen.

Sakuno sighed, wondering why she had to have such bad luck and horrible direction. Everyone (all the Seigaku regulars) had gathered on the beach for some fun. The Freshmen Trio and Tomoka were even there, and only Ryoma was running late. They didn't think too much of it, since this was supposed to be a leisurely break from tennis practice, so they started the volleyball match without him. Sakuno was sent off to buy a few drinks, hence the plastic bag lying on her lap. She just never expected to trip and twist her ankle really badly. What's worse, no one would come looking for her if she took too long because they'd assume she just got lost.

"Mou…" Sakuno groaned again, afraid to ask for help from a stranger. She would try to brave it out and walk back to the others, but it was a long distance and her ankle _really _hurt. Sakuno had also thought about hopping on her uninjured foot, but as she said before, the distance was too long for her stamina to take. She didn't doubt that in her effort to balance on one hopping foot, she would eventually trip and injure _that _one. What was a girl to do?

"Sakuno?"

Why, wait for her knight-in-shining-armour! Or rather, her prince in tennis gear.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno cried happily, trying to get up but yelping in pain as she put pressure on her foot. Ryoma lunged forward, catching her under the arms and letting her lean on him as she recovered from a momentary bout of stupidity. Ryoma studied her form carefully as she regained her balance, her hand still on his shoulder to steady herself. The tennis prince noticed her trying not to put pressure on her right foot, and his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Wobbly knees." He chided softly, which meant she was such a klutz. Sakuno gave him a dirty look, but Ryoma didn't see it, as he was busy hooking an arm under her legs, the other supporting her back. Sakuno shrieked when her feet suddenly left the floor, clutching the bag on beverages. Her head unconsciously nestled into the crook of Ryoma's neck, eyes squeezing shut.

"Ryoma-kun!" She exclaimed, feeling his body vibrate as he chuckled. A little pout formed on her lips, and she looked up to him urging, "Put me down!" He just ignored her, making her embarrassment grow when people began to point and stare (especially girls). Ryoma was, as usual, apathetic about all of it, and/or not noticing them at all. Sakuno blushed brightly, burying her face in his chest to avoid the stares. It wasn't long until she heard Tomoka's loud voice, entwined with Horio's and looked up with faintly flushed cheeks.

"Sakuno-chan!" Tomoka cried.

"Echizen!" Horio yelled after her. Ryoma nodded his head in greeting, and Sakuno meekly raised the bag of drinks.

"I'm sorry we're late." Sakuno said quietly as they neared the large group. Oishi rushed over, his "mother" senses tingling as he checked over Sakuno meticulously. Ryoma softly explained to him that Sakuno's ankle was twisted, and Oishi led them over to the blanket set down on the sand.

"Good thing I'm always prepared." Oishi said a little happily, taking out a large first-aid box out of seemingly nowhere. Everyone gave him a few strange looks, but Oishi ignored them with a twitch of his lips and set straight to work on Sakuno's injury. It was at that point that Ryoma and Sakuno were subject to the endless teasing.

"Kyaa~! Ryoma-sama is so cool, carrying Sakuno-chan like that in her time of need!" Tomoka boasted, wriggling with the fluff of the moment. Sakuno blushed again, trying to calm her friend and bring her voice level down a notch so the entire beach wouldn't hear her. Momoshiro got in really close, a big toothy smile on his face as he put an arm around Ryoma and Sakuno.

"Ah, young love." He sighed dramatically, yelping in pain as Ryoma pinched his arm. Sakuno giggled, watching as Momoshiro back away with an angry pout and Kikumaru took his place, pouncing her.

"Nyaa~ ochibi is growing up so fast!" He said, still not realizing that Ryoma was _taller _than him. The tennis prince kicked him until he ran off with Momoshiro to complain about Ryoma's rudeness to his senpai. Spot open, the younger boy scooted to the side and wrapped an arm around Sakuno's waist, letting it settle there loosely. Inui was writing in his notebook, muttering calculations under his breath and how "that was not scientifically possible". Tomoka fangirled some more, soon getting into an argument with Horio about the volume of her voice. Katsuo went to go spread the drinks that Sakuno bought around, and Kachirou helped Oishi with tending to Sakuno's ankle. Kawamura tried to calm Horio and Tomoka down, and Fuji was eyeing Ryoma and Sakuno with something akin to deviousness. Tezuka just stood beside Ryuzaki Sumire, chatting quietly with her.

Sakuno smiled brightly, watching everyone flitter around the beach having fun. Even Tezuka seemed to have a small smile twitching the corners of his lips up. She reached across her stomach; intertwining her fingers with Ryoma's and smiling brighter at the glance he gave her. She leaned into him, her mouth close to his ear.

"Thank you for helping me, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno whispered softly to him, and she felt his hand squeeze the side of her torso in response. She laid her head on his shoulder, eyes softening as some of the group went to go splash around in the ocean. By that time, Oishi had finished bandaging her ankle and ran to the shores to warn everyone to be careful.

"Hn." Sakuno giggled a little, shifting her legs into a more comfortable position. It was hard to believe they were going into their second year of high school, and the senpai have graduated and are going to move on to their post-secondary educations. It seems like so long ago they were in middle school, not having a care in the world about anything except tennis. It seems like a dream to have her feelings returned by her prince, have him kiss her senseless in the privacy of his room and call her by her name. Sakuno's eyes closed contentedly.

"Ryoma."

His golden eyes turned sharply to look at her, surprised because this was her first time calling him by _just _his name. And his eyes grew even wider after, because it was also be another first for her, a sentence whispered so quietly he had to strain to hear it, but when he did it seemed like nothing mattered anymore except the girl – _woman_, beside him.

"I love you."

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-first drabble out!

My inspiration for this came from my friend (the one who helped with drabble seventeen and fourteen). It was mainly just going to be her flip-flop breaking, but I thought that was a bit boring, lol, so I decided I might as well make her twist her ankle. The ending, where she finally tells Ryoma she loves him and calls him by his name _without _a suffix just sort of... _happened_ while I wrote to finish it. XD I love my brain.

Review for some brownies! (Nuts are optional, for those who are allergic.)

Snowflake Flower


	22. Senpai

**36 Drabbles**

**22: Senpai**

"Isn't it a relief, Ryoma-kun? We're in the same class again." Ryuzaki Sakuno remarked, hands clasped together as she and Echizen Ryoma stood in front of the class list. Tomoka bounded over, pouncing her best friend with an excited shriek. Ryoma winced a little at her loud voice, golden eyes narrowing in discomfort.

"SAKUNO-CHAN! WE'RE IN THE SAME CLASS THIS YEAR!" Tomoka shouted, and then spotted Ryoma beside Sakuno. "Oh, Ryoma-sama! Did you hear? I'm-,"

"The entire _school _heard you Osakada. Heck, the entire _street _probably did!" Horio spoke up as he neared, Katsuo and Kachirou tagging along behind him. There was a scowl on his face, which ignited a scowl on Tomoka's. "Do us all a favour and SHUT UP!" Tomoka let go of Sakuno, getting in Horio's face. Ryoma grabbed Sakuno's hand, tugging her down the hall and around the corner as they heard Tomoka shout,

"DO ME A FAVOUR AND DIE!"

Sakuno giggled a little as the two of them slowed to a stop at the front of the school, where most of the first years were. Ryoma and Sakuno spent their first day of high school here too, Sakuno too afraid to wander and Ryoma too comfortable leaning against a tree napping. For them to be hanging around here the first day of their second year of high school was kind of bittersweet. A little smile tugged at her lips, and she discreetly locked her fingers with Ryoma's, making him glance at her from the corner of his eyes and see her smile secretly at him. A little twitch in the corner of his lip made him turn away nonchalantly, and just in time too.

"Sakuno-senpai!" A younger girl called, her pristine new uniform flapping in the breeze. Ryoma didn't recognize her, but then again, his memory was awful in and of itself. Of course, Sakuno remembered her sweet kouhai in the female tennis club that she coached almost all the time. Little Sakura's pigtails were gone, replaced with a nice high ponytail at the top of her head. She had certainly grown in the past year, if her height was any indication. She was taller than Sakuno!

"Sakura-chan, hello." Sakuno greeted calmly, not at all surprised to see the younger girl in this particular high school. They had a pretty famous female tennis team, and Sakura definitely had more potential than Sakuno herself ever could have. In fact, since graduating middle school, Sakuno decided to take up the flute again. She had played a song once for Ryoma, and was surprised to hear him say, "not bad" instead of his trademark "mada mada dane."

"Sakuno-senpai, I'm so happy to see you!" Sakura said, bowing in respect to her senpai. "I need some advice." She grabbed Sakuno's free hand and dragged her away, not noticing that Sakuno and Ryoma were holding hands. Ryoma, a little disgruntled at having his girlfriend stolen away, let her hand slip out of his to avoid a scene. Sakuno sent him an apologetic look over her shoulder, and Ryoma began walking back to the tennis court to see if he could challenge someone to a match, out of boredom.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed, a little out of breath as they reached a secluded part of the school. Sakura stopped, her hand slipping out of Sakuno's as she kept her back to her senpai. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" The Ryuzaki asked her, reaching out to touch Sakura's shoulder. Sakura was shaking a little, before she turned around and hugged Sakuno, a little wail bursting from her throat.

"I'm doomed!" Sakura cried, and Sakuno blinked a little in shock. Panic welled up inside of her, and she clutched Sakura's shoulders, bringing her back to look at her face.

"What, what do you mean, 'doomed'?" Sakuno asked, and Sakura sniffed pitifully, lowering her head to the ground in shame.

"Sakuno-senpai, do you remember that boy I told you about last year, during one of our practices? The boy I like?" She asked, and Sakuno nodded. It was almost ironic, how he was the one of the best tennis players in their middle school, like Ryoma was when they were first years. Sakura had told Sakuno about him, and the older girl had cooed in delight at the bittersweet romance, which reminded her of hers and Ryoma's.

"Ryoichi-san, ne?" Sakuno said, and Sakura nodded. "So what's wrong?" Sakura sniffed a little more, her toe digging into the dirt below her feet.

"Well… now that we're in high school, I'm worried he will pay attention to other girls instead of me. He's always loved tennis, but he paid attention to me, even if it wasn't very much. It was a far cry from the cold shoulders he gives other girls, but I'm worried another girl will catch his eye now that he's in high school!" Sakura said, fidgeting with her fingers. Sakuno blinked a little in surprise, but smiled kindly at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan," Sakuno said, calling the younger girls attention so her head would raise and look at Sakuno in the eyes. "Don't be afraid of other girls." Sakura was about to protest, but Sakuno held up a hand to stall her outburst. "Trust Ryoichi-san; trust that you both will remain companions – friends, even. Though he may talk to other girls, and be friends with them, you must remember that it was _you _who first became friends with him, not anyone else. Your feelings will eventually reach him, and he will notice you in a more romantic way, I guarantee that."

Sakura's lips pursed, still a little sceptical, but she nodded resolutely after thinking it over. Sakuno smiled, and the two began walking back to the front entrance of the school. Before they completely left the secluded area, Sakuno turned back to convey something to her kouhai.

"I hope that helped, I'm not much of a senpai in this department." Sakuno said, chuckling a little. Sakura, who was a bit confused, just nodded and they continued on their way.

* * *

"Hn."

"…"

Ryoma stared (almost glaringly) at the younger boy across from him, wondering if this was fate, or some work of the gods. Ryoichi, the mildly good tennis player from his old regular team last year was sitting on a bench at the tennis courts, calmly sipping a soda. The kouhai waved his senpai over, and Ryoma obliged, sitting down beside him. There was silence for a long while.

"Echizen-buchou-," Ryoichi suddenly spoke up, only to be interrupted as Ryoma intervened.

"Senpai." He said, trying to emphasize the word. "I'm not captain anymore, Kaidoh-buchou is." Ryoichi nodded, an absentminded nod that showed he wasn't listening, or didn't really care. Ryoma didn't think too much of it. He would be captain next year anyways.

"Does senpai have a girlfriend?" He asked, surprising Ryoma just a little. The younger boy reminded Ryoma of himself in a lot of ways, like their obsession and talent for tennis. Before coming to Seigaku for his third year in middle school, tennis was really all Ryoma ever thought about. Ryoichi was like him in that aspect, but then he started to take an interest in Sakuno that fateful day they met on his way to the tennis courts. Things led to other things, which led to more things, which eventually led to where he was now.

"Hn." He responded, smirking a little. Ryoichi looked over at him, not minding that his soda was going stale. Ryoma gave him a momentary side-glance, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. "Why ask? Tennis was all you ever really cared about in middle school." Ryoma said, almost a bit accusingly. Ryoichi's head ducked down, and Ryoma had not doubt in his mind that the kouhai was flushing in slight embarrassment.

"I'm just curious." He said, and Ryoma let out another little, "Hn". Letting his breath flow quickly out of his mouth, Ryoma's head tilted all the way back until he saw nothing but the pale blue sky above him. Closing his eyes, Ryoma was able to bring up an image of Sakuno in his head perfectly, imagining her smiling face and her voice calling his name sweetly.

"If something else besides tennis captures your interest," Ryoma started, drawing Ryoichi's attention as he mulled over the beautiful face of his girlfriend in his mind. "Then pursue it relentlessly." That said, Ryoma leaned forward to stand up, tucking his hands in his pockets. He left Ryoichi sitting on the bench to think, his mind set on finding Sakuno. Bringing up a picture of her in his head wasn't enough to satisfy him; it had to be _her_, in the flesh.

"Ryoma!" He heard Sakuno's voice call, and his head turned to the side to see her walking to him with that Sakura girl beside her. Ryoichi's head perked up when he heard someone call his senpai, and his lips pressed together a little when he saw Sakura walking beside a girl he didn't recognize. Ryoma smirked a little, walking forward to greet Sakuno, resting his hands lightly on her waist and bending down to kiss her. She giggled as he pulled back, heart thumping a little at his display of affection. He was never so open in public. It was a pleasant surprise.

"Ryoichi-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, seeing him sitting on the bench. He waved at her, and she smiled a little. Sakuno grinned, nudging her in his direction. "Sakuno-senpai!" she whispered fiercely. Sakuno gave her another nudge, this time a little harder.

"Go on!" Sakuno urged, a little twinkle in her eye. "Don't keep him waiting." Sakura seemed to hesitate, but smiled brightly and nodded, bowing to her two senpai in respect. When she straightened, Sakura got a little closer to Sakuno, cupping her hand to cover Sakuno's ear so she could tell her something privately. Sakuno smiled when she pulled back, merely nodding in acknowledgement. Then Sakura ran off to Ryoichi, sitting meekly beside him with a slight blush.

Ryoma looked down at his girlfriend, and then back at Ryoichi. Their eyes met, and Ryoma gave a slight nod. Clasping Sakuno's hand in his, Ryoma sauntered away with his free hand tucked in his pocket. Sakuno looked back over her shoulder to smile at the two of them, looking so cute together. She giggled, looking up at Ryoma and momentarily making him stop. Reaching onto her tiptoes, Sakuno gave him a peck on the cheek, which he blushed at. They continued walking, heading back inside the school to officially start their first day of junior year. Sakuno couldn't help but smile as she recalled Sakura's whispered words to her.

"_For the record, you're a great senpai, Sakuno-senpai._"

And the flowering flutist could only lean her head on Ryoma's shoulder as they continued walking, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

'_No, Sakura, thank you for _**_making _**_me a great senpai._'

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-second drabble out! And Sakura makes her appearance again!

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly Ryoma and Sakuno being good senpai's to their kouhai's, and giving them good advice. That was what stemmed Sakura and Ryoichi, and I thought it would be interesting for them to be a younger version of RyoSaku. You like?

Review for some milkshakes! (I like avocado myself, and yes I know it sounds gross but its good if you add condensed milk and sugar.)

Snowflake Flower


	23. Lost

**36 Drabbles**

**23: Lost**

Ryoma really hated his father sometimes. Sure, he was an excellent tennis player, but Echizen Nanjiroh had many, _many _faults. His lechery, laziness, easy-going nature unfit for a father, and the one Ryoma was most annoyed at now, his complete lack of talent to draw a simple map.

"Baka oyaji." Ryoma muttered under his breath, glancing at the scribbles on the paper that were just unintelligible. He was very sure that if he handed the paper back to his father, the old man wouldn't know how to read it too! Ryoma should've let his cousin Nanako draw the stupid map. It was because of her that his father drew a map for him in the first place. Nanako had just graduated university, and they needed to go to the ceremony where she was handed her diploma, and all that other formal stuff. Frankly, Ryoma was going to be very bored there, but he figured owed it to his cousin to come.

Now if only he could _find _the damn place…

"Ryoma?"

The tennis prince's eyebrows shot up, and he turned to see his girlfriend, Ryuzaki Sakuno, standing there with a bag clutched in front of her. She was flushing a little, probably surprised at seeing him there… wherever _there _was. He was curious as to what she was doing there, _alone_, bad direction sense and all, but Ryoma wasn't a nosy person, so he didn't ask.

"Sakuno." Ryoma greeted simply, walking forward to get closer to her. The scent of her flowery shampoo filled his nose, lulling him into a state of calm. He reached out, cupping her cheek in his palm and angling her face up to kiss her briefly on the lips. As he pulled back, Ryoma could see her blush grow brighter and he smirked in masculine pride. Sakuno cleared her throat, trying to regain some semblance of her lost composure.

"R-Ryoma, what are you doing here?" Sakuno asked, the plastic bag in her hand crinkling as her fingers twitched. Ryoma shrugged, shifting his weight on his other foot and digging out his father's crudely drawn map.

"Trying to find some university." Ryoma said, and Sakuno took a look at the map. Her face twisted in confusion about five different times before she pulled back and gave him an apologetic frown. Ryoma was on the verge of chuckling when he saw her face flash several different ways, but shielded it because he knew she was very self-conscious (and also extremely easy to tease).

"Sorry Ryoma, but that map is very… misleading." Sakuno said, hoping that didn't sound mean to whoever drew it. Ryoma scoffed, crumpling the map up and tossing it in a trashcan nearby. Sakuno's lips pursed, feeling bad she couldn't help. But then she perked up, remembering something. "Ryoma, you said a university right?" At Ryoma's affirmative, Sakuno grabbed his hand and dragged him in the opposite direction he headed in. "Come on, I know the place you're talking about." Ryoma was a little sceptical, having experience first hand what his girlfriends directional sense was like.

* * *

"How did I know this would happen?" Ryoma murmured to himself, watching his girlfriend run around to ask people if there was a university nearby. He sighed, tipping his Fila cap down slightly as she ran back with a dejected face. "Nothing?" he asked, having known the answer a long time ago. Sakuno looked on the verge of crying.

"No. I'm so sorry Ryoma!" Sakuno said, sniffling. Ryoma's eyes narrowed, his male protective instincts kicking in at the sight of his girlfriends growing tears. Reaching out, Ryoma hugged her gently, placing kisses on her hair to try to calm her down, because he _sucked _at dealing with crying women (although most of us would agree he's doing an excellent job right now).

"Ne, don't cry. S'not like its your fault." Ryoma said, awkwardly trying to phrase that so it wouldn't sound mean but at the same time wouldn't sound like he was just saying it to make her stop crying. Sakuno's sniffles died down, but she remained quivering in his arms. Ryoma patted her back uncomfortably until she pulled away and cleared the remainder of the tears with the back of her hand. Sighing, Ryoma put his hands behind his head and started to think. "Now what?" he asked. Sakuno looked up.

"M-maybe if we start from where the map was supposed to start?" she suggested, and Ryoma shrugged. There was really nothing they could do now, so maybe it would be of _some _use to go all the way back to the station. Goal set, Ryoma grasped Sakuno's hand and pulled her along to make his way to the train station.

* * *

"I hate that old man." Ryoma growled, as he and Sakuno stood in front of the station. When they first arrived, the two of them were at a complete loss as to where to start… until Ryoma turned around to face away from the station. "The university is right in front of the friggin' station!" Sakuno sweatdropped, trying to calm her boyfriend down as he spouted curses under his breath. Ryoma sighed, getting out all of his frustrations before turning to Sakuno.

"Ne, thanks for your help." Ryoma said, and Sakuno just flushed and smiled kindly.

"I'm just glad I was able to help." Sakuno said, and with a surprising burst of boldness, reached onto her tiptoes to peck him on the lips. Ryoma stood there, shocked, for a couple seconds before leaning down and capturing her lips for a longer kiss. He wound an arm around her waist, his other hand reaching up to cradle her head. Sakuno's hands were tied, carrying a bag, but she kissed back hard enough to make up for it.

"Oi, Ryoma! What took ya?"

'_Uh oh._' Sakuno thought, pulling back as Ryoma whirled around to glare at his father. Meekly, Sakuno took a step back as the father and son got into an argument about crudely drawn maps and pointless scribbles. In her head, Sakuno bid Ryoma goodbye before she turned to enter the train station. Behind her, she could hear Ryoma's heated voice and smiled, giggling.

"So Ryoma can get lost too."

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-third drabble out!

My inspiration for this drabble was making Ryoma get lost, cause Sakuno always gets lost and I feel like he's being left out. Of course, who better than Ryoma's own father to _get _him lost? Ah Nanjiroh, you lovable samurai you. XD (As a sidenote, I'd like to thank my friend who helped me with drabble 14 and 21, because she sparked this particular drabble.)

Review for a nanaimo bar!

Snowflake Flower


	24. Ponta

**36 Drabbles**

**24: Ponta**

The day was normal, like any other day. School had been let out, and Sakuno was once again waiting for Ryoma to finish tennis practice so they could go home together. Sometimes she'd hang out with Tomoka, but this particular day was the Ryoma Fanclub meeting, and Tomoka was president so she couldn't keep Sakuno company. A little lost as to what to do, Sakuno decided to have a drink at the water fountains; it was a hot day. But then something unexpected happened.

It was when Osakada Tomoka had approached Sakuno with a devious gleam in her eye; the young Ryuzaki suddenly felt a looming sense of doom fill her entire body. When two of the members of the Ryoma Fanclub made themselves known as well, eyes also twinkling in devilishness, Sakuno could only think she was screwed.

* * *

"Tomo-chan?" Sakuno questioned, her bottom lip trembling a little as the three other girls surrounded her. There was a very scary gleam in her eye, one that told Sakuno she wasn't going to be let go unless they scrounged every single detail from her that interested them. Knowing Tomoka, and her obsessive nature with Sakuno's boyfriend, this was going to be a very long and embarrassing talk.

And it was. Long in the sense it didn't end soon enough for Sakuno's liking.

"What does Ryoma-sama taste like?"

Sakuno just turned beet red, and would've fainted if one of the members of the fanclub hadn't slapped her face with an ice-cold wet dishcloth. Sakuno gaped a little at the attack on her face, until Tomoka grasped her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake to make sure she didn't faint. Her eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a determinative frown.

"Sakuno! This is for the sanity of the Ryoma-sama fanclub!" Sakuno's mouth flopped open like a fish, wondering what Tomoka preached about in their meetings after school. She still wondered why the fanclub was still alive, given Ryoma was already taken by yours truly. Then again, Ryoma was Ryoma, so his getting a girlfriend probably wouldn't deter anybody's determination. That made Sakuno's confidence deflate _just _a little bit.

"T-Tomo-chan, I can't answer something like that!" Sakuno exclaimed, her hands clutched near her chest as she blushed at the implications of that question. "It's… it's so embarrassing!" Tomoka scoffed, putting a hand on her hip and turning her nose up in the air. To follow their leader, the two girls also assumed a haughty stance, eyes narrowed at Sakuno, who was quivering under their gazes like a mouse under an eagle.

"Fine." Tomoka said, pouting openly. "We have a hypothesis as to what Ryoma tastes like anyways." The two girls behind her nodded, giving each other a smirk. Tomoka leaned forward, a wicked smile on her face, as though what she was about to say would be absolutely right. "Ryoma-sama probably tastes like ponta. He drinks it like a dying man drinking water!" Sakuno's mouth dropped open again, and the three girls believed to have been right. With a swish of their hair, they turned around to head back to the meeting room and report this to the rest of the members.

* * *

Ryoma was wondering why his girlfriend was blushing red like a tomato again, as the two of them sat on his bed in his room. He was playing with Karupin, flicking the cattail toy around as his Himalayan cat tried to grab it with her brown paws when he noticed Sakuno was unusually quiet. She would be giggling and trying to give Karupin competition, touching the cattail with her finger and watching as Karupin meowed in jealousy. Today, she just sat at the top of his bed, looking down at her hands with a blush staining her cheeks. When Sakuno blushed for a reason unknown to him, Ryoma became curious. And we all know Ryoma leans more to the cat side than the human side sometimes, hence why "curiosity killed the cat" related to him more than most people.

"Sakuno, what's wrong?" He asked, as it was his nature to be blunt to the point of being rude. Sakuno jumped when he called her name, blushing brighter now that he was paying attention to her. She sputtered some incoherent words for a few moment, before he was able to decipher things like, "Tomoka… question… taste…. Ponta…" and his eyes shot up.

"It's so embarrassing!" Sakuno said, finally saying something he could understand. With a little sigh (as he knew Sakuno wouldn't get over this until he did something), Ryoma got up and threw the cattail outside, Karupin running after it with a loud meow. Closing the door (and locking it), Ryoma made his way back to Sakuno and settled down beside her, wrapping his hand loosely around her waist.

"Now," he said, his voice a little stern, "say that again, but this time in a way I can understand." Sakuno blushed and bit the bottom of her lip a little, but took a deep breath and told him of the little incident at the water taps. When she finished retelling her tale, Ryoma couldn't help but just snicker in amusement, causing her to hit him and exclaim, "Ryoma, its not funny!" Ryoma hummed, thinking as to what to do. With a little grin of mischief, Ryoma leaned closer to Sakuno's face and inquired, "shall we find out?"

Sakuno fainted.

Ryoma chuckled, holding his girlfriend's light body and letting her rest on his bed until she woke up. And when she did, she would be too preoccupied with the racing feelings going through her entire body to remember what Ryoma tasted like. That he tasted like strawberries, a fruit she so loved to eat, and that he didn't taste like ponta because he kissed her strawberry-flavoured mouth more than he drank his favourite soda.

Of course, Sakuno eventually _did _find out what Ryoma tasted like, but it was kind of unexpected and confusing until Ryoma explained it to her.

Then she fainted again.

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-fourth drabble done! I did this in all of an hour, so if you see spelling errors, point them out to me please!

My inspiration for this chapter was inspired by the idea of Sakuno saying to Tomoka, "Ryoma-kun tastes like ponta". But then I thought, sweet shy Sakuno would never say that to anyone, not even Tomoka because it was so embarrassing. So it would have to be forced out of her, right? And that stemmed this!

Review for some s'mores! (Dunno if I spelled that right)

Snowflake Flower


	25. Growth

**36 Drabbles**

**25: Growth**

It was amazing how much people could change in a short span of time. Certainly Ryoma himself knew this, having encountered a drastic growth spurt during his year in America. Granted, his height didn't really bother him too much until he went back to Japan to finish his schooling, and looked _down _at Ryuzaki Sakuno. A sort of masculine pride flew through him when he realized that she was blushing as she took in his new appearance, her body shadowed by his taller figure. And not only his height had changed; Ryoma's voice became a few tones deeper, his face more pronounced and his muscles built from so much training.

So it bothered Ryoma one day when he began to recognize all the different changes that occurred in his girlfriend.

* * *

It started when he waited for her outside her house as usual on a school day. She had come out of the house, as she always had in her uniform, clutching her keys in one hand and her school bag in the other. Sakuno turned to look the door after waving hello to Ryoma, not noticing that her boyfriend took notice of the fact her skirt was a couple inches higher than it was yesterday. When he asked her about it on their way to school, Sakuno blushed brightly and exclaimed that it must've shrunk in the wash or something.

Ryoma knew better. Sakuno had just grown a little. Before, she came up to his shoulder, but now she came up to his chin. It didn't make Ryoma any happier, his eyes flickering to the pale skin of her legs that was displayed for _all _to see (including those perverted boys).

And throughout the entire school day, Ryoma began to notice all the other changes in his girlfriend. How her arms and legs seemed more toned than they were when they were in middle school, that her hips seemed a little wider (or as Tomoka would call them, "child-bearing hips"), that her face evened out and seemed more feminine and delicate, and that her school blouse strained against her chest.

Of course, Ryoma wasn't the only one who picked up on such things. Despite the fact _everyone _knew Sakuno was taken by yours truly, no one bothered to hide their obvious infatuation for the girl. Sakuno began to get more and more boys coming up to her, asking her for favours or homework help or some other bogus excuse like that. Ryoma was starting to get a little frustrated, and majorly jealous. Because now, instead of Sakuno spending time with Tomoka to wait for him after tennis practice, she spent time with yet _another _boy, trying to help them with whatever they requested of her.

That girl really needed to learn to say no.

And as Ryoma would discover a few days later, she did.

* * *

Tennis practice was over a little early for Ryoma, as he had already finished everything he needed to work on (which was almost nothing; I mean, this is _Echizen Ryoma _we're talking about). The tennis prince went out to search for his girlfriend, because now he couldn't find her anywhere considering she was being skirted around to all corners of the school with some _boy_. (Insert Ryoma-like growl here.) Luckily for Ryoma, he heard her voice (and some other idiotic males voice) just at the water taps. Silent as a cat, Ryoma made his way around the corner to see something most amusing.

"Yashiro-san!"

**SMACK**

Sakuno, her hand held to the side of her, glared at the boy with his head turned to the side, one of his cheeks bright red. Sakuno clenched her fist, bringing it down and Ryoma stepped forward to listen more closely to her response at whatever the stupid boy had tried to do.

"I am sorry for hurting you," Ryoma snorted quietly at that, thankful Sakuno didn't hear it, "but please don't try to force my hand. Ryoma is my boyfriend; I won't have you trying to break up our relationship by tricking me into adultery." Ryoma's eyes narrowed, his vision turning red but his lips quirking up as he realized this "Yashiro" person was his next living target practice.

"Sakuno is too kind." Ryoma drawled, alerting the attention of the two teenagers. Yashiro's face went cold, his mouth dropping open as he realized what was going to happen. Sakuno was relieved to see him, having been worried that Yashiro would try to force himself upon her when there was no one to protect her. "I definitely mean it when I say _I'm _not sorry for hurting you." At those words, Yashiro turned tail and ran, and Ryoma decided to chase after him tomorrow, given he wanted a kiss from his girlfriend for 'rescuing' her from _another _idiotic male.

"Mou, Ryoma," Sakuno scolded slightly in between kisses, "it's not nice to threaten people." He just scoffed, kissing her again. A little part of his heart fluttered when he realized that Sakuno had not only grown physically, but mentally as well. The old Sakuno he knew would've just stood there in shock, and would be too shell-shocked or weak to do anything. But the Sakuno now was strong, stronger than ever before, and she defended herself even without Ryoma there. It kind of gave him a little empty feeling, not being able to always protect her like the damsel-in-distress he always pictured her to be.

Nevertheless, Ryoma wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-fifth drabble out!

My inspiration for this was mainly showing how Sakuno has grown from being so shy and weak like she was in the anime of Prince of Tennis. I decided to put this in Ryoma's point of view because I feel he needed a smack in the face. You better watch out Ryoma! Sakuno's officially become eye-candy! (Like you're been for most of your life)

Review for some lemon meringue pie! (Dunno if I spelled that right...)

Snowflake Flower


	26. First

**36 Drabbles**

**26: First~~**

It was a harmless question, really. "Do you want to come watch a tennis match with me?" Sakuno just didn't know that it would end up with about fifty different reporters and fifty different paparazzi from fifty different tabloid magazine companies swarming her house.

"Mou…" Sakuno muttered, eyebrows furrowing as she peeked out her bedroom window from behind her pink curtains. She wondered how they knew where her house was, and how they were able to find out so quickly. They didn't know a single thing about her; they just knew she was sitting with Ryoma in the stands while they watched a local tennis tournament. Sure, their seats were in the VIP section, but did that really mean anything? And a little nagging thought in the back of her head told her this was because of Ryoma's father, Echizen Nanjiroh. _He _gave Ryoma the tennis tickets after all.

* * *

"Che. They aren't that great." Ryoma said sulkily as they sat in the little box that counted as the VIP section. Sakuno giggled, sitting beside him and noticing his hand twitching. Where tennis was concerned, Ryoma was always very adamant to have a hand in it, and she almost sure he would try to barge in after the winner was decided and challenge him to a match. No doubt it would spark up a lot of gossip, and she knew how much Ryoma _hated _gossip, so she reached over and grabbed his twitching left hand with her right hand, squeezing it gently to sate him. He glanced over at her, still pouting. Sakuno giggled again.

"Ryoma, just be patient. I promise we'll ring up Momo-chan-senpai and the rest of them and you can get rid of your urges." He still pouted, but it lessened somewhat when Sakuno leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, eyes trained on the two tennis players below them. Certainly, they were good, but Sakuno knew her boyfriend would destroy both of them. She didn't want their pride to be crushed so completely after they just won a long and gruelling tennis tournament, so she vowed to keep Ryoma as a spectator at all costs.

And as Sakuno would soon find out, that required lots of touching (and being touched), witty banter about how the two players didn't even come _close _to good (in Ryoma's opinion), and a few chaste and teasing kisses. Unfortunately, their every action was documented in about five different paparazzi cameras.

* * *

Sakuno groaned, wondering how on earth she was going to avoid the crowd of reporters outside her house and get to school. This was definitely a first for her, seeing as she wasn't exactly the most famous person (she was only popular at school for being so naturally shy and cute). Aimi was probably more suited to these types of things, seeing as the girl was a teenage supermodel.

Her rescuer came in the version of a little car, with the prince of tennis himself stepping out of it. He saw her in the window, motioning with his eyes to come down. Sakuno, a little sceptical, did as he was told because he obviously had experience with these reporters shoving tape recorders or microphones in his face. Quickly, Sakuno snatched her school and rushed out the door, shrinking under the flashes and loud voices of all the commotion. They shoved around her gate, only backing away when some of them saw Ryoma's trademark scowl directed at them.

Meekly, Sakuno opened her gate and rushed over to Ryoma, who grabbed her arm and ushered her into the car his father drove while maintaining his intimidating scowl. After getting in the car himself, Nanjiroh (who was extremely pleased with himself) drove off to the direction of their high school, a goofy smile playing at his lips.

"Sorry about this Sakuno." Ryoma said, gripping her hand. Sakuno blushed, shaking her head as she thought about the morning hullabaloo. Reporters and paparazzi hording her house and taking pictures of her whenever she came into sight; that sounded like the day of a typical girlfriend of a tennis superstar.

"Its okay Ryoma." Sakuno said, smiling at him. "I have to get used to this sooner or later." Nanjiroh, listening in on their conversation, snickered from the drivers seat.

"Just imagine the hype once your first baby is born." Ryoma, vein popping from his forehead, kicked the back of his dad's seat as Sakuno blushed a cherry red.

"Oyaji!"

Nanjiroh just laughed. His eyes glanced in the little mirror above him at his son and his son's girlfriend, both blushing in carrying degrees of red. A little smirk played at his lips.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything, ne?"

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-sixth drabble out! This once was a lot of fun to write.

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly Sakuno and Ryoma's first appearance to the papparazzi. I mean, if you're the girlfriend of an international tennis player, obviously you're gonna get a little fame, right? And of course, where mischief is concerned, Nanjiroh is always present. He gave those tickets to Ryoma because he decided the two of them needed a little recognition, and he needed a few laughs. Silly samurai.

Review for some peach cobbler with ice cream!

Snowflake Flower


	27. Night Sky

**36 Drabbles**

**27: Night Sky**

The crowd was deafening, so much Sakuno almost couldn't hear herself think. People were going crazy, stamping their feet and cheering at the top of their lungs. Those who had made signs had ripped them in excitement, swooning over the lone figure standing in the middle of the arena with a smirk on his face, the open-dome stadium glaringly bright because of the sun. Ryoma had his Fila cap on, so his eyes were thankfully shielded from the sun as he looked up at all his fans. He was a shining beacon standing in the middle of a glorious blue sky.

Sakuno just smiled bitterly, hidden in the entrance to the tennis court. She bathed in the shadows, darkness flickering across her skin with every little movement she made. As she looked out to Ryoma's glistening figure, Sakuno could only think to herself that this was where she would remain; in the shadows. She supposed that was all right, as Sakuno was never really comfortable with the spotlight in general. But sometimes she wondered if it would be better, because dating Ryoma was like walking beside the sun. He just commanded attention everywhere he went.

Ryoma looked up, straight at the clear blue sky above him and smirked, letting his hat flop to the floor as he closed his amber eyes. He almost _glowed _in the sunlight, the wind playing with his hair and letting it dance around him. Sakuno watched him, her heart panging. She mimicked the tennis prodigy, looking up to see nothing but black. A sad smile touched her lips, and she looked back down to see Ryoma making his way towards her. There was a light smile playing at his lips as he swept her up in his arms and kissed her gently. Sakuno returned his kiss with fervour, trying to ignore the voice in her head that told her,

'_He belongs in the sun._'

* * *

The breeze was cool, blowing under her loose pink shirt and white skirt. It was a little cold, she thought, bringing her hands up to rub her arms. The stadium was completely empty, shrouded in shadows that flickered across the entire dome. The roof was open, letting the moonlight shine its dim light on her. The whitish glow spread across spontaneous parts of her body, and Sakuno traced them with the tips of her fingers. She supposed this was the only light she was getting, for she was born to remain in the shadows.

Taking a deep breath, Sakuno looked up and closed her eyes, the ends of her hair tickling the back of her knees. A few hours ago, after everyone had left the stadium, Sakuno was a bit disgruntled to find both of her braids smeared with vanilla ice cream. Ryoma had laughed at her for a bit, until he finally took pity on her red face and embarrassed pout and pointed her in the direction of the women's shower rooms. There, Sakuno had unravelled her hair and washed out the semi-dry ice cream stains. After finding there was no hand dryer in the room, it soon led to Sakuno standing on the arena, letting the cool breeze of the night air dry her auburn tresses.

"Sakuno."

She turned, seeing Ryoma standing at the entrance of the arena, softly glowing because of the little light on the ceiling of the tunnel-like entrance. Sakuno's lip quirked up a bit, finding it so ironic that even when she stood where he once shone so brilliantly, and he stood where she was once shadowed so lifelessly, he still glowed with the luminance of a twinkling star and she was still surrounded in bleak darkness.

"Ryoma." Sakuno replied, tilting her head in greeting, a soft smile touching her lips. The tennis player made his way over to her, shoes scuffing the tennis court with little sounds. Ryoma reached her, putting his arms around her and holding her to him, giving her a light kiss on the lips. "What are you doing here?" What are you doing in the darkness, when you belong in the light? Those were the words that ran through her head, but she dared not speak them aloud for fear of his retribution. Ryoma hated it when she undermined herself so casually.

Ryoma reached down, nuzzling his nose in her freshly washed hair with a deep sigh. "They're going to close the stadium soon, so we need to go." He told her, and Sakuno nodded. His arms slid out from their hold on her waist, and he looked at her strangely. Sakuno blinked, touching his face lightly with her fingers.

"Ryoma?" She questioned, a little confused when he started to run his fingers through her hair and trace the contours of her face with light, fleeting brushes of his lips. Sakuno shivered, settling her forehead against his, partially to make him stop and partially to be able to see his golden eyes reflected in the light of the moon. "Ryoma should go inside now. I'll come back in a bit." She told him, a little surprised when his hands – that had migrated back down to her hips, gripped her so tightly she could feel the pressure of his hands digging into her skin (especially his fingers).

"Why can't I stay out here with you?" Ryoma asked, a little bitingly. Sakuno blinked in astonishment, not really expecting a question like that to be hurled at her. Her caramel-coloured eyes flashed to the side, mouth pursing a little as if to tell him she didn't want to talk about it. "Sakuno…" He growled, almost a little warningly. She flinched, closing her eyes and breaking from his hold almost too easily. Sakuno walked a little ways from him, her hands coming up to hug her arms, as if to shield herself from her own boyfriend. She looked up to the sky, past the luminous moon and the glittering stars to the dark, endless universe beyond it. Then Sakuno closed her eyes, imagining the bluest of blue skies, the radiant sun blinding her caramel orbs and forcing her back into the darkness. A tear slipped quietly and gently down her cheek, dropping invisibly to the ground.

"I am the night sky, and Ryoma is the sun." Sakuno said quietly, not realizing Ryoma had slinked closer for coherency, as acute as his hearing was. She went on, clutching herself tighter as her shoulders shook with building tears. "Ryoma is the day sky, and I am the moon." Unknown to her, Ryoma began to touch her hair, letting the semi-dry strands run through his fingers to rejoin the rest of her auburn locks. "I am dark, you are light; we can never stand beside each other." Sakuno whispered finally, so softly under her breath that even at Ryoma's proximity he needed to strain his ears to hear her. When he did, however, fury slammed through him like the adrenaline rushing through his body when he faced a particularly strong opponent.

Though she spoke in riddles, Ryoma could understand her perfectly.

"_I'm not good enough for you_",

"_You deserve someone who will share your fame_",

"_People will scorn you for being with such a nobody_",

"_Our relationship would never work_",

"_Let's break up._"

"I refuse." He said, shocking her when he suddenly spun her around to meet his fierce, determined amber eyes. She was a little frightened of the intensity of his golden orbs, almost burning into her soul as he punctuated his every point with a passionate kiss. Sakuno soon found her body crushed by his larger one, Ryoma's rough and calloused hands gripping her wavy brown hair and her petite, trembling body to further solidify his point. "I don't know why you're saying weird things," oh yes he did know, but he wasn't going to hint to Sakuno that he had more brains in the romantic department than people thought he did, "but I. Can't. Live. Without you."

Sakuno gasped for breath when he finally stopped suffocating her with his kisses, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. This time, Sakuno knew for a fact she wasn't trembling anymore, so she came to the conclusion it was Ryoma who quivered violently as he held her, his cheek pressed against her cheek.

"Sakuno," he whispered breathily, and a little shakily too. "I don't _care _about anyone else. I don't _care_ if you suck at tennis," here, she let out a choked laugh more in bitterness than joy. "I don't _care _about what other people will think, I don't even care if we are the most dysfunctional pair in the _universe_. Sakuno, why can't you understand that I… I…" Here, he paused as Sakuno waited anxiously for his reply. Both of them were tensed, but Ryoma was still shaking. He pulled back a little, cupping her face up to look straight into the caramel-coloured orbs of his girlfriend. His eyes slowly trailed over her face, delicate and innocent, so gently feminine, and then to what was shown of her auburn locks, long and wavy, and soft to every touch. Ryoma's eyes softened.

God she was beautiful.

"I love you."

He said it; Echizen Ryoma finally said it. Sakuno couldn't of been happier. If the fact that she hugged him so closely and given him the most soulful kiss she had ever given him before was any indication, Ryoma was sure Sakuno was the happiest she'd ever been in their many months together.

At this point, the janitor who was locking up had wandered around looking for the last two people in the stadium, and finally found them kissing under the moonlight. As much as he would've liked to leave them alone, the old man was on a tight schedule (it was his thirtieth anniversary tonight) and he needed to go. When he called out to them, a pleased "hello there!" they both jumped like they had been caught red-handed with their hands down the cookie jar. The old man just chuckled softly under his breath, motioning for them to get out of the arena. Embarrassed at being caught during such an intimate moment, the two of them ran to the janitor with blushing cheeks (some brighter than others) and apologetic bows. The pleasant old man waved it off, and sent them on their way so he could lock up for the night.

As he left to the hallway on the right, Ryoma discreetly tucked Sakuno's hand in his and pulled her along to get out of the stadium. It was pretty late, and he was sure Sumire (Sakuno's grandmother) was going to chew him out again for keeping her away from home. Sakuno just let Ryoma lead her along, although she turned her head back to gaze at what was left of the arena from the opening (or what doubled as the entrance). The roof of the dome was being closed up, and the light of the moon was steadily being blocked out. Sakuno smiled a little, turning her head back to glance over at the side of Ryoma's face. The artificial lights above them made him glow like a star, or the sun. Sakuno looked down to herself, seeing shadows flickering across her skin. Another light smile touched her lips.

'_As light and dark we can never stand beside each other, we can only coexist. Well… Ryoma was always good at breaking the impossible._'

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-seventh out! Gosh, this was such a hassle to write, but I'm very, _very _proud of this particular drabble! I think its the best I've written in a long time. I find it funny that some drabbles I think will turn out horribly end up being one of my best. Lol.

My inspiration was based on a quote I thought up. "I am the night sky, and Ryoma is the sun" which is what Sakuno says to herself, but when I thought about how to start it, I imagined Sakuno looking at Ryoma after he won a tennis match, people adoring him and Sakuno just left in the background. Then it just sort of veered in another direction and wrote _itself. _I really love when that happens, because it usually ends up being some of my best work.

Review for any desert/food or drink that you want! And please, _please _tell me what you think of the writing. Thanks!

Snowflake Flower


	28. Inui jiru

**36 Drabbles**

**28: Inui-jiru**

It was dark in the school, and Sakuno shivered as she stepped out of her homeroom class. It was nearing winter, and Ryoma was still caught up in tennis practice. The teacher had asked her to stay after class to clean up, and Sakuno obliged. Tomoka had to take care of her brothers today, so it wasn't like she had anything to do anyways. The sun was setting earlier than usual as well, and the soft orange glow of the sunlight lit up the hallways in ways Sakuno had never seen before. Smiling a little, Sakuno made her way slowly to the stairs at the end of the hallway, intent of watching Ryoma practicing with Kaidoh-senpai and Momo-senpai before they had to leave.

But mysteriously, one of the doors was open. Sakuno blinked, fairly sure she had seen her sensei lock the door on his way out. The inside of the room was pitch black, and Sakuno peeked in to call out, "hello?" in case anyone was there.

Someone was.

"Ah, Ryuzaki-kouhai."

Sakuno jumped, a little surprised at hearing the voice.

"I-Inui-senpai?"

* * *

Seriously, this was starting to get on his nerves _just _a little bit. Whenever he thought their relationship was the best it had been in a while (or every day of every hour they spent together), she goes off and _avoids _him for a week or two! Ryoma was a little confused for the first few days she told him to go home without her, but then those days turned into weeks! Ryoma could only think of the worst, watching her run off everyday after school to some unknown part of the school. Ryoma could never follow her, having tennis practice right after class ended. It was a little frustrating, because she didn't say a thing about where she was going (even when he asked), not to mention he hadn't kissed her ever since! The possibilities were endless, but the most prominent one was that she was cheating on him.

'_Impossible._' Ryoma thought, sending a particularly strong twist serve to the opponent across from him (Horio).

Sakuno was so sweet, so shy, so innocent and just. She would _never _cheat on him; it was impossible for her. And yet even as he chanted those phrases over and over in his head, Ryoma still had lingering feelings of doubt left. He was a little disgruntled when Kaidoh-buchou called him out, telling him to go take a break because it needed to cool his head for a bit. Ryoma just grumbled out a quick "yes" before taking off for the water taps. When he arrived, Ryoma was pleasantly surprised to see Sakuno there, bent over the water taps. He could hear the water from the tap rushing into a container, and sneaked up behind her to peek over her shoulder. The water was being poured into one of the flasks from the chemistry room.

"Sakuno." He said, smirking a little when she squealed loudly and jumped about a foot in the air, almost spilling all the water on herself. She turned to look at him with her large, caramel-coloured eyes and flushed cheeks. He noticed her hands were shaking a little, probably from his bout of devilishness. After she calmed herself down, Sakuno glared half-heartedly at her boyfriend.

"Ryoma!" She scolded, whacking him in the shoulder. Ryoma just chuckled, bending over to the running water and taking a quick drink. Then he straightened up, kissing her swiftly on the mouth. Sakuno returned his public display of affection, before pulling away and grabbing the flask of water. Her lips were pursed, like they always were when she was nervous or anxious about something. Ryoma's eyes narrowed. "Ano… I have to go now Ryoma. You can leave without me… again."

And before he could say another word, she turned tail and ran.

* * *

Ryoma could hear them, that is, Kaidoh and Tezuka speaking softly a little ways from him. They were discussing his irate behaviour for the past few weeks, contemplating the possibilities. It wasn't long until they looked at each other and nodded, saying "Sakuno." Ryoma just growled when her name was spoken, and the two never spoke about her again through the rest of the little get-together. It was their monthly tennis match, only Ryoma was hell-bent on released every bit of his anger in the sport on all of his senpai. Let's just say Tezuka wasn't too happy about that, and Ryoma was sent to cool off.

Meanwhile, Inui stood in the corner when it wasn't his turn to play, analyzing his fellow teammates like always. He knew the prince of tennis didn't know of his frequent visits to Seigaku, as the data tennis player was very adept at stealth. That, and Sakuno refused to tell him just yet. The two of them had been working in the chemistry lab of Seigaku (because Inui felt more comfortable working there as opposed to the university laboratories), trying to come up with a drink that didn't taste horrible, helped all the tennis players, and didn't make up faint. Needless to say, their work was nowhere near complete.

"Echizen." Inui said, walking over to the boy genius. Well, he couldn't be considered a "boy" anymore, now could he? Ryoma just glanced up at him, before looking back down and taking a sip of his water bottle. Inui's mouth quirked up a bit in amusement, and Ryoma took another glance at him, the water bottle half way up to his mouth. His eyebrow rose, and he said rudely to his senpai,

"What?"

Inui just pointed to the bottle Ryoma held in his hand.

"That's mine."

Everyone in the tennis courts froze, anticipating Ryoma to keel over and vomit.

"See Inui-senpai? I told you it would work." Sakuno chirped, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Inui just put his fingers to his chin, rubbing them earnestly as he took out his notebook for notes. He was muttering incoherent formulas under his breath, everyone hearing the word "percent" come out of his mouth more than once. He walked off, intent on getting some peace and quiet to sort out his data. Sakuno sat down beside Ryoma, patting his back as he recovered from choking on the Inui-jiru.

"No wonder it tasted fruity." Ryoma muttered, narrowing his eyes at his girlfriend. She always knew he loved the taste of strawberries (especially when it came from her), so she must have modeled the new and improved (and drinkable) Inui-jiru after fruits. Kikumaru bounded over, snatching the water bottle from Ryoma's hands.

"Let me try!" He shouted, guzzling a large amount. Momoshiro swiped it from the redhead, taking a good gulp of it himself. Soon enough, almost the entire Seigaku team was fighting over who got to try it next (Fuji especially interested because of its edibility). Ryoma just sat there, still dazed from the fact that he drank an Inui-jiru and he was still _alive_, much less conscious. Sakuno just giggled at him, laying her head on his prone shoulder.

"… so you weren't cheating on me?" Ryoma asked, grimacing a little as Sakuno shot up and gazed at him with wide eyes.

"Ryoma!" Sakuno exclaimed, scandalized. Thankfully their senpai wasn't paying attention to their conversation, too caught up in the business of Inui-jiru being drinkable. She giggled a little, resting one of her hands on his, squeezing it firmly to get his eyes to swivel over to her. "Ryoma, I'm sorry if I kept it a secret from you, but Inui-senpai asked me to, at least until our prototype worked." Ryoma shrugged, trying to seem as if he didn't care.

"Well, whatever. It can't be helped. But when did you get so good at chemistry anyways?" Ryoma asked suddenly, eyes narrowing at her. Sakuno blinked a little at the question, her smile suddenly teasing as she mentally pretended to take offence to that comment. Just because she sucked at English didn't mean he was allowed to take cracks at all her other subjects. This was payback time.

"Oh, I'm not." Sakuno said nonchalantly, turning to look up at the sky with a whimsical twinkle in her eye. "But you would be surprised that even if Inui-senpai and I can't make _beautiful music _together, we can sure make _beautiful Inui-jiru's _together."

Ryoma's jaw dropped, and Sakuno could only hold her poker face for about five seconds until she burst out laughing. The tennis star, having caught on her to joke, tackled her with a mischievous gleam in his eye, his fingers ghosting all along her ticklish spots. At this point, all the Seigaku regulars had finished trying the new Inui-jiru, and noticed the commotion going on behind them.

"Nyaa, I wanna join the tickle-fight!" Eiji exclaimed, jumping into the fray and going for Ryoma to save Sakuno from an aching stomach. Momoshiro, at first thinking this was a bit childish, pounced Ryoma too, just to see him break out into laughter. Sakuno just laid there on the ground in hysterics. But then, Fuji pulled her into it by poking her in the ticklish spots Ryoma had once touched, coaxing Kawamura to join and being successful. Ryoma, wanting to save his girlfriend, broke from his senpai's hold and grabbed Sakuno's arm, pulling her up and away from the tickling monsters. Not missing a beat, their senpai took off after them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in an all-out tickle war, two-against-five.

Strangely enough, Ryoma and Sakuno emerged the winners.

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-eighth drabble out! I figured after the fairly depressing drabble last time, I should give you a drabble that's more silly and fun!

My inspiration for this drabble was mainly Sakuno helping Inui make his juice's edible and not disgusting. As you can see, it worked! I was only to include Ryoma being jealous, but somehow it ended up ending with a tickle war. XD Oh well, I'm happy with it, what about you?

Review for a waffle cone! (With ice cream, if you want)

Snowflake Flower


	29. Thank You For Your Hard Work

**36 Drabbles**

**29: Thank You For Your Hard Work**

"Thank you for your hard work." One of Sakuno's classmates said, bowing to her in gratefulness as the young Ryuzaki stepped out of the classroom. Ryoma was off at tennis practice again, and a classmate had asked her to help clean the classroom because she accidentally twisted her foot while trying to reach for the bucket placed on a high cabinet. Sakuno, ever kind and thoughtful, agreed immediately and helped bandage the injury before she started on the cleaning. When her classmate apologized for making her work in her place, Sakuno just waved it off and said she had nothing to do anyways, Tomoka leaving early after school for her new part-time job.

"Please, let me walk you down to the front doors." Sakuno offered, gripping her classmate's arm firmly as she helped her hobble down the hallway. Her classmate, agreeing with a little bit of guilt, placed a hand on the windows to help her steady herself, but then looked out the window to smile a little longing smile.

"Ryuzaki-san is _so _lucky." She said, alerting Sakuno's attention. When Sakuno just made a noise of confusion, her classmate tugged her to the window and pointed down at the muscled, sweat-covered body of Echizen Ryoma. He was currently having a tennis match with Momoshiro based completely on power. Kaidoh stood on the side, acting as referee as he observed their skills. Well… Momoshiro's skills.

"O-oh, you're talking about Ryoma." Sakuno mumbled, flushing a bit. She always got comments like those, and yet they still caught her off guard. Her classmate just smiled another silly smile, turning to continue walking down the stairs. She seemed happier now, just taking a single look at Ryoma. It made Sakuno's chest pang in slight jealousy.

"I still can't believe he's an international tennis player! Echizen-san must've worked really hard to get where he is now, even _with _his natural talent for tennis." The classmate pondered, looking to Sakuno for confirmation. The shy girl smiled slightly, a little uncomfortable with the subject topic. She had never thought about that… All the hours spent training with his dad, perfecting his skills. It was probably frustrating too, having your father as a famous tennis star and needing to equal him in skill, possibly even exceed him. She wondered how much pressure Ryoma needed to carry. All her parents ever asked of her (before they died) was to get good grades in school.

"Y-yes, you're right." Sakuno replied to her classmate's comment, the both of them arriving at the shoe lockers. Sakuno helped the other girl sit down and brought her her shoes.

"Ryuzaki-san," her classmate said after Sakuno helped her put her school shoes into her shoe locker. Sakuno looked over, her caramel eyes a little widened in query. The classmate smiled kindly, making shooing motions with her hands. "You can go ahead and meet with Echizen-san; tennis practice is probably over by now," she said, adding to that, "I can make it on my own from here. Thanks again Ryuzaki-san!"

Naturally, Sakuno tried to protest, but was chased out by her classmates stern voice and firm glare.

* * *

Ryoma was mildly surprised to walk out of the men's change rooms and not see Sakuno anywhere. She usually made her way to the tennis courts fairly early, dying of boredom. Today, she was nowhere to be seen. Ryoma just shrugged it off, deciding he should look for her in case she fell asleep somewhere, or was helping someone and taking too much burden upon her shoulders again. He was making his way to the doors of the front entrance when Ryoma was pleasantly greeted by his girlfriend slamming into him.

"Ah! R-Ryoma!" Sakuno exclaimed, blushing brightly. He smirked, bending down to give her a chaste kiss that she enthusiastically returned.

"Sakuno." Ryoma said simply. "Shall we go?" He turned around without waiting for her response, because he was Echizen Ryoma and that was what he always did. So, it was a bit unusual to feel Sakuno's hand wind around his larger arm, gripping it to stop him so he turned to look at her. She smiled shyly, taking a step closer to him and getting on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Ryoma was confused, until she pulled back and gave him a big smile.

"Thank you for your hard work."

_

* * *

A/N _Twenty-ninth drabble! Only 6 more to go, people! I'll be really sad when this ends, despite its minor frustrations. But until then, let's keep a positive attitude, ne?

My inspiration for this chapter was Sakuno telling Ryoma "Thank you for your hard work" in reference to his tennis skills and the things he needed to do to get at the level he is today. Goodness knows how hard Nanjiroh trained Ryoma when he was so small. But then I thought Sakuno talking to Ryoma about it would be a bit strange and out of the blue, so why not some random classmate? Tell me what you think!

Review for some sugar cookies!

Snowflake Flower


	30. Say Ah

**36 Drabbles**

**30: Say Ah~**

Ryuzaki Sakuno yawned, stretching her arms up above her head to get the kinks and knots out of her back that formed over her long trip in the train. She and her grandmother – Ryuzaki Sumire, had gone out of the city to visit a few relative for the holidays. More specifically, two weeks of school had been gone staying over at an aunt's house, leaving Ryoma to fend for himself at school (not that he couldn't survive, seeing as the Junior Three were there, and Tomoka was too, but they weren't adequate compensation for Sakuno's absence).

During her absence, Sakuno had missed Ryoma greatly, and a smile spread over her face as she wandered through the city to go to his house and find him. Her grandmother had let her leave on her own, just telling her to be careful and not get lost like she usually did. Sakuno told Sumire not to worry, knowing exactly how to get to Ryoma's house from every part of the city (which was scary, considering she didn't know how to get to her own house from every part of the city).

* * *

Ryoma grumbled, moping in his room as Karupin meowed at his feet. There was nothing to do. He had gotten back from school, and Sakuno was still not back yet. Karupin was his only form of company, but after hours of endless cattail swinging Karupin got bored and settled at his feet, purring softly and drifting to sleep. That was only on the first day too; so by fourteen days, Ryoma's head felt like exploding from boredom.

"Ryoma!" He heard his father shout from the ground floor. "Guess who's back!"

He was out the door and down the stairs in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Sakuno had only taken one step through the door before being barrelled back out of the house by the very person she wanted to see. His chin rested on her shoulder, so she couldn't see him but she could tell he was delighted to see her. A little smile graced her lips, and Sakuno pulled back to kiss him sweetly on the lips.

"I'm back."

Ryoma just smirked, grabbing her hand and tugging her back into the house, up the stairs and into his room. The two of them promptly ignored Nanjiroh's lewd comments and the smack he got from Nanako right in the middle of a particularly perverted one. Right now, the only thing they cared about was privacy, hence Karupin being kicked out of Ryoma's room and feeling grumpy for the rest of the day.

When the door was locked and his room was safe from susceptible peeping toms (read: Nanjiroh), I'm sure all of you can guess what happened for the next hour or so.

* * *

They were just lying on Ryoma's bed, Sakuno nestled up against her boyfriend and giggling as he drew circles on the sleeve of her shirt. She arched her neck up to give him a kiss on the cheek, smiling and basking in the tranquility of the moment. Entwining his fingers with hers, Sakuno looked up at him with her caramel eyes.

"Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow?" Sakuno asked, anticipation clear in her eyes. Ryoma's face fell almost immediately, and the pout he wore when Sakuno was gone appeared as if it had never left. Sakuno was confused, reaching up with her hand to touch his cheek and turn his head towards her, as he averted his eyes in secrecy. "Ryoma?" She murmured, her stretched out legs curling beneath her body. Ryoma sighed, tightening his hold on Sakuno's waist and kissing her softly.

"Can't." He mumbled. "I have an appointment with the dentist." Sakuno blinked, a little confused as to why he was going to the dentist. It couldn't have been a check-up, seeing as he already had one about a month ago. When Ryoma saw her questioning gaze, he frowned a little more and his cheeks flushed. "I have a cavity."

Sakuno gasped, getting onto her knees in front of her boyfriend, demanding he open his mouth. Ryoma stayed stubborn for a while, until Sakuno gave him a withering glare and he obliged, the prospect of not being able to hold her or kiss her for another extended period of time ghastly. Sakuno peered into his open mouth, eyes narrowing as she tried to pinpoint where his cavity was (though many wondered why she tried). When Sakuno backed away, Ryoma closed his mouth with a snap.

"Ryoma, how did you get a cavity?" She asked, a little confused. Ponta was really the only sugary treat Ryoma acquainted himself with, and even then it wasn't enough to form a cavity, so Sakuno had to wonder. Ryoma's eyes flickered to the side, and Sakuno knew he was trying to hide something, so she grabbed his chin in her hand and forced him to look at her. "Ryoma!" She exclaimed, and he scowled a little.

"I ate too much strawberry candy." He said lowly, the blush on his cheeks turning brighter. Sakuno was still confused, wondering when Ryoma got a taste for strawberry candies. Her boyfriend could only roll his eyes at her naivety, grabbing her wrists to catch her attention. Direct answers and explanations always worked better with Sakuno (too bad they majorly embarrassed her… or at least, too bad for Sakuno).

"Strawberry is what you taste like." Ryoma said simply, reaching behind him to pull out a bag of the strawberry candy he'd been eating obsessively for the past two weeks. Sakuno blushed cherry red, looking away in discomfort as her heart fluttered wildly. Ryoma always loved teasing her, making her embarrassed because she was just so damn _cute_ (not that Ryoma said or thought that). Ryoma smirked, the plastic of the bag crinkling as he brought out one of the round, shiny red candies and held it to Sakuno's face.

A devilish smirk graced his lips.

"Say ah~."

_

* * *

A/N _Thirtieth! _Now _I have 6 more left to go! Haha, I'm so bad at math ._.

My inspiration for this chapter was Sakuno forcing Ryoma to open his mouth to see his cavity by using "say ah~". But then it kind of deviated to Ryoma telling Sakuno to open her mouth so he could give her candy to chew on (and maybe even have a tongue battle to see who got to finish off the candy).

Review for some strawberry candy! (Lol)

Snowflake Flower


	31. Unexpected

**36 Drabbles**

**30: Unexpected**

Sakuno was always a very shy girl. Her parents died in an accident at a very young age, and she's been living with her working grandmother (Ryuzaki Sumire) since she was about three (the time of the accident). Sumire, a little shaken up about the death of her child, then worked hard to make sure her granddaughter would never have to experience hardship in her life. As a result, Sakuno was a very sheltered child, having things done for her and being drilled to be extremely careful. She never had to endure emotionally scarring things, like bullies picking on her because of Tomoka's loud mouth and over dramatized personality, and her grandmother being a teacher of the school. Which kind of made her think how her grandmother was always in a school she attended, but never really dwelled on that thought until now.

So it was completely unexpected when her face was plastered over every tabloid magazine in Japan, the words "plain" and "boring" underlined at the bottom.

* * *

The school was in an uproar, every single person heatedly debating Sakuno's credibility to be Ryoma's girlfriend. Aimi was smugly recounting all the reasons Sakuno was unsuited for the famous young tennis player, and Tomoka was fiercely arguing in Sakuno's place, coming close to punching the girl out a few times. Horio wisely chose Sakuno's side, not particularly feeling like running from a barrage of flying tennis balls (or at least, that was his excuse). Kaidoh didn't have any particular preference, but when one of the girls rudely insulted the "plain" Ryuzaki, he had sent them a glare so chilling one of them needed to attend therapy to stop the nightmares they kept getting. Momoshiro was purely on Sakuno's side, cornering anyone who spoke against Sakuno and recounting how much the young girl had affected the cocky tennis player. Ryoma had taken the liberty to attach himself to Sakuno, never letting her go anywhere alone and making it an effort to shower her with as much PDA as he could stand.

Sakuno? She acted like the entire female population wasn't glaring daggers at her, and Tomoka wasn't guarding her like a hawk. She acted like Ryoma had always shown her public displays of affection, and she had always responded in a ditzy, giggling kind of way. She acted like it was the norm to find many of her school notebooks riddled with bolded, red words like, "plain" and "boring" and even the occasional "slut". She acted like there was no such thing as "negative".

Key word: she _acted_.

* * *

The door closed with a soft click, Sakuno seated primly on Ryoma's ruffled bed sheets as Karupin purred, rubbing her body around Sakuno's legs. Ryoma stood inert at the door, his hand resting on the wood as he turned his head to look at her with his eyes partially hidden by his messy bangs. Sakuno pretended to pay him no mind, reaching down to stroke Karupin leisurely; the cat greeted her enthusiastically by jumping into her lap and curling into a little ball. Ryoma's eyes narrowed, not amused that she was ignoring him in favour of his cat. He took a few brisk steps forward, lightly slapping Karupin's posterior and scaring his cat out the door (which he opened and then closed after the cat left). Sakuno was sitting with her mouth agape at him; a little shocked he was being so mean to his pet.

"Ryoma!" She scolded, not getting up. "Mou… you are so difficult to deal with when you're in a bad mood." Sakuno jested lightly, huffing. Ryoma whirled on her, having shut the door again by pushing it closed. His eyes blazed furiously, and Sakuno avoided the golden glow of them by averting her eyes to her fiddling fingers.

"And you're not?" He asked harshly, almost a little bitingly. With his honed eyesight, Ryoma could see the flinch his words had drawn out. Sakuno looked at him, her eyes not directly looking at his. Ryoma took a few steps closer to her, the pace of her fiddles increasing with every step that drew him close to her.

"Of course not." Sakuno said lightly. "Why would I be?" Ryoma's eyes softened, and he reached forward to touch her cheek, caressing it. Sakuno's bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. Ryoma bent down, leaning forward to envelop her in a heartfelt embrace. Sakuno's smile began to look a little strained.

"You don't have to pretend anymore." Ryoma whispered tenderly, one of his hands rubbing soothing circles in her back. She began to quiver at first, very lightly that Ryoma almost couldn't feel it, but that quiver soon turned to trembling, which turned into violent shakes until Ryoma could feel the shoulder of his t-shirt become soppy and wet. Her feeble hands clutched the front of his shirt, making harsh wrinkles that his mother would scold him about. At this point, he didn't really care about anything except the tears running down Sakuno's face, and the anguished sob that threatened to rip out of her throat. It was so unexpected for her, realizing finally that everything the tabloids said was true.

And for hours, Ryoma just held her as she cried.

_

* * *

A/N _Sorry its a little late, but here's the thirty-first drabble! Please expect two drabbles tomorrow, to make up for my lateness. =D

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly Sakuno coming to realize that now that she was Ryoma's girlfriend, she would be a main target for the tabloids to exploit, especially since she was quite a normal girl and not used to the thick-skinned lifestyle of the celebrities. I wanted the chapter to be a bit angsty, seeing as all the other ones were very positive and happy. Sort of... a change of pace. Like it?

Review for some_ crème brûlée_!

Snowflake Flower


	32. A Happy Time

**36 Drabbles**

**32: A Happy Time**

The little girl giggled, peeking out into the living room and seeing the green Christmas tree standing tall and proud in a corner of the room. Presents decorated with shiny wrapping paper littered the bottom of the tree, all tied up with different-coloured ribbons. The little girl stared almost longingly at them, her head arching up to see a woman in a rocking chair, knitting a red scarf with her tiny fingers, and a man lounging on the couch, the daily newspaper open as he read the sports news. The little girl giggled again, scrambling up on her chubby legs to rush in, a wide smile dancing on her face.

"…-ou-san! …a-san!" She shouted, the first parts of the words muted for some strange reason. The man and the woman both looked up from what they were doing, watching the young girl beeline for the presents under the tree. "Can I open them now? Please, please, please, please?" She exclaimed, grabbing the biggest one and hugging it with a toothy smile. The woman laughed, putting aside her knitting project and kneeling down to rest on the floor with the man.

"_Of course."_ She said, her face for some reason unrecognizable because of the shadows her bangs made. The man on the other side of the little girl was the same, face darkened to hide his facial features. The little girl paid it no mind, enthusiastically ripping open the wrapping paper and ribbon to dig inside the box and bring out a white teddy bear with a red bowtie. She squealed, squeezing it tightly before she let go and turned to give the two adults big hugs. The man chuckled, smoothing the little girls stray bangs out of her face. She turned to look at the woman as well, who was also smiling before the man's voice turned her attention away.

"_Are you happy, Sakuno-chan?"_

She didn't remember what she said next.

* * *

Sakuno groaned, bringing her hand up to her eyes to rub them free of fatigue. Ryoma stood above her, smoothing her creased brow with a swipe of his hand. Karupin laid beside her on Ryoma's bed, meowing softly at the girl.

"Sakuno, you awake?" He asked, and Sakuno just nodded her head in response, vision not completely in focus. She yawned, bringing her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

"Sorry, Ryoma." Sakuno muttered, slowly sitting up as to not give herself a headache. "I just fell asleep." Ryoma just shrugged, not really caring much. It was nice to watch his girlfriend sleep, because he could stare at her as much as he wanted, and she would never look away. Karupin enjoyed it because Sakuno was very warm, and she would cuddle up to the female human and nap alongside her. "Ah, what time is it?" She asked, wondering if it was about time for her to get home. Dinner would roll around soon, and Sakuno didn't want to impose. Ryoma looked at the digital clock with something of a pout gracing his lips.

"It's about eighteen o'clock (six pm)." He answered. Sakuno hummed a little in thought, before reaching for her jacket and slipping it on. Ryoma stood up, knowing that she wanted to go now and he would walk her home. They both exited Ryoma's room and made their way down the stairs, only to be ambushed by Echizen Nanjiroh, Rinko, and Nanako.

"Sakuno-chan~!" Nanjiroh exclaimed, pouncing forward to lock the young girl in a hug, only to be rudely intercepted by his only son. Rinko shuffled forward, giving Sakuno a quick hug to back away and let Nanako take her turn as well.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Rinko asked, clad in her customary kimono. "The food is already laid out, so you're welcome to join us." Sakuno just shook her head, politely declining the offer and stating she needed to get home anyways. Rinko commanded Ryoma to walk her, if Sakuno hadn't refused and told him to stay here to eat, and that she had a few things she needed to take care of anyways. "Oh… well that's too bad, but please be careful on your way home." Rinko commented, and Sakuno promised she would.

Nanjiroh, who had finally gotten out of Ryoma's chokehold, shouted out of the door as Sakuno was just about to go down the stairs of the Echizen house.

"Come visit again soon, Sakuno-musume (daughter)!"

Sakuno turned around, smiling and nodding. When she turned back to head down the stairs, her smile fell.

"Musume…"

* * *

Ryuzaki Sumire was waiting at home for Sakuno to get back from Ryoma's house, having already cooked dinner because the young girl commented she wouldn't be able to. Sumire was hoping Sakuno would get back soon so they could have a nice dinner. She was getting a bit worried when the clock struck eighteen-thirty. It only took about ten minutes to walk from Ryoma's house to home, and Sakuno would've called if she was going to stay for dinner (and Sumire knew she wasn't, as the girl would think she was intruding).

When the clock hit eighteen-forty, Sumire picked up the phone and dialled the Echizen household.

* * *

The grave was recently cleaned, Sakuno noticed. That must've been her grandmother's doing, since Sakuno stopped visiting her parents grave since she was about four years old, an entire year after the accident. Even though it happened when she was so young, Sakuno could still remember many things about the tragic death of her parents. She remembered clutching a white teddy bear when her grandmother came over with tear-tracks on her cheeks. She remembered being dressed in black, and visiting a bleak, dark place and being told to stand in front of a perfectly rectangular stone to say her goodbyes. She remembered asking her grandmother where her parents were; when they were coming back. She remembered bawling her eyes out for days, screaming until her voice was hoarse when she realized they were never coming back.

She remembered visiting them for three-hundred-and-sixty-five-days, crying at their gravestone and choking on her sobs until her throat was sore and her eyes were red. She remembered never seeing a smile on her grandmother's face since her parent's death. Most of all, she remembered not being able to sleep one night, and quietly padding out into the living room to peek around the corner, much like she did during that one Christmas Day, and hearing her grandmother sobbing in front of a picture of her parents, asking for Sakuno's welfare and happiness, and hoped that "that young child will never have to shed another tear again, and that the rest of her life will always be filled with smiles and laughter and happiness."

She remembered heading back to her room, climbing into the covers and closing her eyes to pretending to sleep. She remembered feeling her grandmother's goodnight kiss, and the little drop of water that fell on her forehead. She remembered falling asleep and waking up the next morning, drying her overnight tears and padding down the stairs to the sight of breakfast, a big smile on her face and a cheery, "good morning obaa-san!" She remembered her grandmother's eyes widen until a small smile spread through her face and she greeted "good morning" as well. She remembered stopping the grave-visits that very day, surprising her grandmother. She remembered her grandmother's smile become increasingly wider with every morning Sakuno greeted her cheerily. She remembered that not thinking about her parents at all helped the hurt go away.

She remembered forgetting about them completely.

Until now.

"_Are you happy, Sakuno-chan?"_

She wasn't sad. Sure, she cried sometimes, but it was mostly out of frustration than anything. She smiled a lot, so much that sometimes when she was in her room at night, and about to go to bed, her mouth hurt from too much smiling. She also laughed, Tomoka's strangeness always able to spark a giggle, and the Junior Three's antics always made her laugh so hard her stomach hurt. And let's not forgot the senpai-tachi, and Ryoma and his father, Nanjiroh. They were the most hilarious of them all.

"_Are you _**_happy_**_, Sakuno-chan?"_

A shout drew her attention from the grave, and Sakuno turned to see Ryoma running towards her. Behind him stood the rest of the Echizen family. Nanjiroh, Rinko, and Nanako. Beside them was Ryuzaki Sumire, looking very relieved and very happy. Sakuno's eyes flickered to each of the Echizen's, noting with astonishment the relief and happiness evident in their eyes also. She saw Nanjiroh's hand wave at her, and his lips mouth, "Sakuno-musume." A little pang shot through her in an emotion she was unable to identify. Her eyes raked over all of them again, words popping spontaneously into her head.

Nanjiroh… "_Otou-san._"

Rinko… "_Okaa-san._"

Nanako… "_Onee-san._"

Sumire… "_Obaa-san._"

Ryoma…

The words stopped there, and Sakuno looked back to her parent's grave that glowed in the sunlight. The names dented into the stone caused a pang to ripple through her heart, this time in slight grief. She was surprised how easily she had come to accept their death. How easily she could now see the name, "Ryuzaki" titled down the centre of the stone grave. How easily the answer to the question that plagued her for almost her entire life came.

As Ryoma drew closer and closer, Sakuno looked away from the gravestone.

"Sakuno, are you okay?"

"_Are you happy, Sakuno-chan?"_

"Yes, I am."

"_Yes, I am."_

_

* * *

A/N _Thirty-second drabble out! This one is a sweet combination of angst and acceptance.

My inspiration for this drabble was varied, but I finally decided to do a "best of both worlds" sort of thing. Did that come across properly? I can never tell, lol. I also wanted to give a reason as to where Sakuno's parents were, and since they're never mentioned in the anime, I figure they're probably dead, right? And since they're dead, obviously that means Sakuno has been carrying this grief with her through her entire life, so I wanted this to be a sort of letting go moment for it good? Bad?

Review for a custard tart!

Snowflake Flower


	33. Photo

**36 Drabbles**

**33: Photo**

Sakuno was never a nostalgic person. That was more her grandmother than Sakuno herself. She would always see Sumire, her grandmother, sitting on the couch flipping through the many albums documenting each of their lives. Though there weren't many pictures of Sumire herself, Sakuno knew there were many pictures of her parents (her father in particular, since he was her grandmother's son), and many pictures of her as well. When her parents died, Sumire took it upon herself to build album after album of Sakuno's childhood, never letting any event go to waste. So it was a bit of a surprise when one day, her grandmother left the house and Ryoma dropped by to hang out for a bit and get away from his nosy father. She had told him to sit in the living room and wait for her as she went to prepare some tea.

Sakuno just never expected to come back and see him smiling at a picture of her dressed up like a cat. She also didn't imagine he would look up at her with a cocky grin and remark, "no wonder you preferred the cat costume during that one school festival."

Ryoma swore he never knew she could blush so many colours.

"R-Ryoma!" Sakuno scolded, putting the tray of tea down and lunging for the incredibly embarrassing picture. His hand moved out of the way so she couldn't take the picture back, stretching it far behind him so she landed on his chest and reached feebly for it with her shorter arm. Ryoma was very amused, his golden eyes sparkling in desire as her chest was in direct view of his sight, shirt strained against her bosoms as she tried to grasp the photograph.

Deciding Ryoma no longer cared about the cute picture of his girlfriend dressed as a cat in her younger days, Ryoma flicked his wrist to send it flying on the coffee table before wrapping an arm around Sakuno's waist and leaning his head forward to attach his lips to her smooth neck, teeth scraping and tongue lapping. Sakuno shivered in response, her head arching back and her arm dropping to curl around his head. She sighed softly as Ryoma's lips travelled further up, finally reaching her pink lips.

"Ryoma…" Sakuno murmured, her breath coming in short pants as her boyfriend ravaged her mouth. Ryoma pulled back from raping her ear to give her a cocky smirk. She gasped when he leaned forward to entwine her lips with his once more.

* * *

When Sumire came home later that day, she noticed her granddaughter was blushing faintly and kept adjusting the collar of her shirt. The woman didn't think much of it, knowing Sakuno was naturally shy and fidgety, and that if there was a problem, she was old enough to take care of it herself. That thought set in mind, Sumire and Sakuno both had a pleasant dinner.

After dinner was over, Sakuno went to clean up the dishes and Sumire wandered into the living room to pick up the album she left lying on the coffee table that morning. The old woman liked to reminisce after she had eaten with Sakuno, reminding herself of how much her granddaughter had grown. She idly flipped through each page, her small, nostalgic smile never fading with any page. She stopped on a particular picture, her gaze turning to confusion. Eyebrows furrowed, Sumire looked up from her memory browsing and shouted to Sakuno who was washing the dishes in the kitchen.

"Sakuno, where did the picture of you dressed up as a cat go?"

Sakuno almost sliced her hand open with the knife.

_

* * *

A/N _Thirty-third drabble out!I know its a short drabble, but I promise you that for every short drabble I've put out, the very last drabble will make up for all of them!

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly going to be an embarrassing picture of Sakuno dressed as a kitty-cat, which Ryoma would find and tease her about. The idea of him stealing it only came as I was finishing off the drabble.

Review for a banana split!

Snowflake Flower


	34. Cell Phone

**36 Drabbles**

**34: Cell Phone**

Ryuzaki Sakuno was always a timid, shy person. Over the years, she had grown more mature and outgoing, but the adorable traits she developed as a child would always remain with her no matter how old she got and how much she changed. Of course, there would always be spontaneous bouts of boldness that Sakuno would have, being a teenager with raging hormones. _Especially _a teenager with an overly amorous boyfriend and a much too wild best friend. And a group of senpai that she thought lived to tease her and her boyfriend, and one of her male friends that wasn't afraid to shout everything she said (and everything he said) to the entire world and beyond.

Sakuno was surprised she hasn't gone insane yet.

* * *

"I can't believe you're making me do this, Tomo-chan." Sakuno moaned, burying her face in her hands as she blushed deeply. Tomoka cackled, prancing around Sakuno's room as she shoved furniture this way and that, closing curtains only to open them again and mutter under her breath, "we want more light here." Sakuno just watched her, pulling the frilly skirt a _little _further down to avoid showing Tomoka/the invisible paparazzi in her room her pink knickers.

"Sakuno-chan, you really have to let loose a little! Ryoma-sama has always been keeping you on the edge, right? Now you have to keep _him_ on the edge!" Tomoka said, sounding (as usual) like everything she said was right. Sakuno fidgeted a little, unused to her unbound chocolate locks brushing against the bare skin of her back. It tickled, and she would always have to reach back to brush them away. It wasn't long until Sakuno just draped all her long hair over one shoulder, jumping a little when Tomoka cried, "great idea Sakuno-chan!" The shy girl blushed, gingerly sitting on the edge of her bed as she watched Tomoka "work her magic".

"But, Tomo-chan, do we _really _have to go about it like… like _this?!_"

Tomoka looked over, thinking what she had dressed Sakuno in was perfect for her little photo shoot. Her best friend was wearing the _cutest_ Lolita-inspired dress. The top was a white, cap-sleeved blouse under a pure black corset, matched with a tutu-inspired pink skirt with frills on the hem. The back of the top dipped a little low, showing Sakuno's bare back, and the skirt was _very _short, showing Sakuno's toned legs from years of tennis practice. She didn't wear any shoes (I mean, they _were _inside of her house…), but she wore black stockings (slightly see-through) attached to a garter belt. The place where the stockings and the garter belt met was lower on the body than usual, and the skirt was so short you could see where the stockings ended and where the belt began (and a little peek of the bare smooth skin shown afterwards). The best part was, Sakuno also wore a cute pink cat-ears hair band, and had a black tail on her dress!

I'm sure you know what this particular idea stemmed from… If only Sakuno could keep her mouth shut.

"Right then!" Tomoka exclaimed, grabbing Sakuno's hand and plopping her on the various blankets and bed sheets that littered the floor. There were some of Sakuno's favourite stuffed animals there, and some plain white pillows for her to lean on. A window was open to let light in from the right, out of the camera shot but close enough to let the light shine through. Her mirror was moved to the other side of the room to prevent Tomoka and the camera from being reflected on it. "Sakuno, strike a pose!" Sakuno just sat primly on the blankets, a little unsure of what to do. Tomoka let out a frustrated huff, shaking her head. This was going to be almost impossible.

And she was right, as always.

* * *

Ryoma was pleasantly surprised one day when he was playing tennis with his senpai-tachi (again), and his cell phone started to ring. He took a sip of his ponta, sat down on the bench and pulled out his phone. Ryoma ignored Momoshiro's calls of "lovebirds sending each other text messages" and Kikumaru's, "ochibi's growing up!" to focus on the picture-text-message his girlfriend sent him. He was even _more _pleasantly surprised to open said text-message and find a picture of his girlfriend posing seductively in the frame… _like a cat_, with ears and tail and all.

Damn… that woman was so infuriating sometimes.

"Ochibi? Where are you going? Ochibi!"

I'm sure all of you can guess where he went.

_

* * *

A/N _Thirty-fourth drabble out! Gosh, we're getting so close to the deadline. Please stick with me until then! Only two more to go!

My inspiration for this chapter came from a friend who helped with the sixth and thirteenth drabbles. I modified it to my liking, but generally his idea was Sakuno sending some embarrassing text message to Ryoma only for Ryoma to lose his cell phone. I only kept the first part, with the embarrassing text/picture. I think I've abused Sakuno enough (at least until the last drabble...)

Review for candy apples!

Snowflake Flower


	35. Happy x2 Day

**36 Drabbles**

**35: Happy x2 Day!**

Sakuno hummed lightly, the beef sizzling in the frying pan as she expertly flipped a few over with two plain chopsticks. There was a rather large bento box behind her, filled mostly to the brim with all sorts of Japanese food that Sakuno had discovered her boyfriend loved to eat in the time they spent together. She had been working for almost a month trying to perfect the foods he loved, all for this one day. Sakuno giggled a little, putting a hand to her flushing cheek only to realize the beef was going to burn soon. Quickly, she piled it all into the bento a few feet down from the stove, tongue poking out of the side of her mouth, as she made sure not to drop any.

Ryuzaki Sumire walked into the kitchen, smiling lightly as she saw her granddaughter hard at work. The coach of the tennis team grabbed a plain white mug, pouring some coffee into it that Sakuno had brewed for her earlier that morning. Sumire spied a plate of breakfast on the table, chuckling slightly as she wondered how Sakuno was able to think of everything before she thought of herself. The poor girl probably hasn't eaten since she got up at six this morning.

"Obaa-san!" Sakuno exclaimed, turning around to see her grandmother sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in hand. The young girl blushed terribly; a bit embarrassed she hadn't heard the older woman come in. Meekly, Sakuno capped the bento box with its lid, wrapping it in a nice, royal blue cloth. "I-I'll be back later today; I'm not sure when." Sakuno admitted softly, hoping her grandmother wouldn't be angry. Sumire just chuckled, grabbing her chopsticks to start the breakfast her granddaughter so lovingly prepared for her.

"Stay out as long as you like," Sumire said, watching Sakuno closely from under her eyes, "just make sure Ryoma is with you at all times." Sakuno walking down a deserted road at the blackest time of night… Sumire shuddered to think about it.

Sakuno blushed, bobbing her head before remarking about how she needed to get ready and dashing up the stairs. Sumire watched her go, a little smile playing at her lips. She turned back to her coffee, taking a sip of the bitter liquid and grimacing. She added some cream and sugar, taking another sip to hum softly in contentment. The calendar on the other end of the kitchen caught her eye, and she sighed like a woman far in her years would sigh, thinking on the days of old (or young, whichever). Though she didn't have her glasses, she could see the bright red marker contrast starkly against the white paper behind it, and chuckled. Though she couldn't read from this distance, Sumire knew exactly what it said, and the words brought tears of happiness to her eye. They reminded her of how fast her granddaughter was growing up, how fast her days seemed to fade. Sumire stood up, grabbing her coffee and breakfast to eat in the living room and watch the news.

"Has it really been two years already? Maa, Ryoma; you better take care of her."

* * *

Sakuno hummed a little joyful tune, stepping out of the subway station. It was a beautiful summer day, with the sky blue and the sun shining. Taking a deep breath to release it all in a nice long sigh, Sakuno thanked the gods it was the perfect day for a picnic in the park. Although, when she thought about it, they were most likely going to end up eating beside a tennis court. Sakuno giggled a little, not really bothered by that simple fact. It actually kind of… _fit _their strange relationship. Not that it was strange in a bad way.

"Sakuno."

She turned, hearing her name called. Ryoma was leaning against a pillar, his trademark Fila cap shadowing his golden eyes. Sakuno could see a few people sending him looks as they realized he was the young prodigy that was rocking the tennis industry. Quickly, so as not to cause any awkward situations for Ryoma, Sakuno picked up her pace and greeted Ryoma with a smile. Without saying a word, the two of them joined hands and disappeared before people could start pestering them.

Eventually, the two of them stopped at a nearby tennis court, settling down to enjoy the large lunch Sakuno packed for the both of them. She hadn't eaten that morning, so Sakuno was certainly looking forward to this. And Ryoma? He skipped breakfast, on the pretence of escaping the house and his overly nosy father (but really, we all know he just skipped so he would be hungry). Ryoma was delighted to see all his favourite foods piled in the bento box, although most couldn't tell he was. Sakuno giggled, handing him a pair of chopsticks as she brought her own out. Absentmindedly, Sakuno wondered if Ryoma knew the reason she wanted to have lunch with him today, but shook her head and told herself that was impossible. Boys didn't remember things like second year anniversaries.

Oh how wrong she was.

It wasn't long until the two of them finished Sakuno's homemade lunch, and it wasn't long until Ryoma slowly eased the conversation in the direction of their anniversary. To say Sakuno was surprised was an understatement. To say Ryoma was pleased was incredibly accurate, and to say Sakuno was not surprised to see Ryoma pull out a beautiful golden locket was a complete lie. To say Sakuno was so deeply touched while reading the inscription on the inside of the locket was never more correct a statement.

_Over wind, over water, over fire__  
Through mountains, valleys, and peaks  
__I will climb the highest heights, and dig the deepest depths  
To have you here, with me_

_

* * *

A/N _Thirty-fifth! One more to go guys! Oh, I'm so excited!

Well first of all, I had NO idea what kind of theme "Happy x2 Day!" was, so I just went with second anniversary. My inspiration mainly came from Sakuno making a big lunch date for the two of them, and Ryoma surprising her with a locket. The inscription/poem sort of came randomly, when I felt in a poetic mood (which happens rarely, given I think my poems are crap, lol) Tell me what you think!

Review for chocolate pudding!

Snowflake Flower


	36. Expectations For The Future

**36 Drabbles**

**36: Expectations For The Future**

It was amazing how fast time could fly. Sakuno, standing in the front yard of her high school was smiling nostalgically, holding her school bag loosely in front of her and letting her braids dance slightly in the breeze. She took a deep breath, the crisp morning air filling her lungs with life and invigorating her entire body. It was almost like she was fourteen again, standing in front of her middle school and getting ready to tackle her third year with gusto.

Almost, as the only difference this time was it was her third year of high school.

* * *

"I'm going now, or I'll be late." Ryoma called out to the members of the house, his tennis bag slung over his shoulder and his school uniform newly washed and smelling of laundry detergent. He heard his mother call out to him and tell him to have a nice first day as a third year, and Ryoma groaned when he saw his father walking towards him. The old man had a grin on his face that spelled trouble for the young tennis player, no doubt.

"Ryoma." Nanjiroh started, fishing into one of his kimono sleeves to produce a piece of paper. There was an address on it, and a phone number was at the top as well. Ryoma took it hesitantly, wondering if his father was trying to skip out on an errand like he always did. "Go there after school, and if you get lost, call the number at the top. Make me proud, boy!" And without another word (or a chance for Ryoma to respond), Nanjiroh quickly made his escape into the kitchen. Ryoma just stared at the place where his father disappeared, a scowl running across his face.

"Weird oyaji." He muttered, stepping out the door.

* * *

Aimi grimaced; flipping her perfectly curled (dyed) deep red hair back as she made her way past the front gate of the school. She still didn't know why daddy insisted she go to a _public_ high school when he knew perfectly well she could afford going to a private school because of the money she made as a model. He tried to explain his reasoning to her, definitely, but Aimi preferred to tune him out when he started on a lecture about going to a public school. She honestly didn't care, because once she turned eighteen, he couldn't decide anything for her anymore. She would model on the cover of playboy if she wanted to, damn it!

Sighing, Aimi flipped her curls back again, sashaying across the school front yard. She spotted that brown-haired, pigtailed, plain girl standing a little ways from the school, her head back and her face serenely calm. Aimi scowled, still remembering that instant in their first year of high school. How dare both of them?! Embarrassing her in front of the entire school! Aimi was a full-time model, and she would be respected because _she _actually has to work! Not like a bunch of the other teenagers in the school, who just lazed around as their parents did all the work for them. Not like her dad, who just lazed around and told _her _to work, hoarding all the money _she _made…

Her cell phone rang at that moment, stopping her train of thought. Blinking, Aimi spied her caller ID to see her manager's number flashing in her face, so she picked up with a bright smile and a little peek of her (already perfect) nails. Her manager was this shy, pushover type of guy, who got embarrassed easily. Though he was tall and could pass as a bouncer, Hiroshi was such a gentle, sweet person. Aimi enjoyed ordering him around to do everything; he never complained.

"Aimi-san." Hiroshi said over the phone, the model shivering a bit. Sure, he was a pushover, but _damn _did he have a nice voice! "I'm sorry for the short notice, but-,"

Aimi listened closely to her new job, examining her nails meticulously. If that nail-stylist didn't do it _perfectly_…

* * *

"_Same old, same old_." Sakuno thought to herself, giggling a little. Ryoma was napping; head cushioned in her lap as she gently brushed away his unruly bangs. He was muttering things in his sleep, a trait Sakuno soon found occurred occasionally when he was asleep. His words were too soft to be coherent to her ears, but sometimes she could pick out things like her name, Karupin, ponta, of course tennis, and sometimes even "baka oyaji". Sakuno smiled tenderly, knowing despite his complaints and insults about his father Ryoma truly cared for the man who brought him into the world of tennis, and raised him to be the fine young man he is today (although Ryoma would vehemently deny those facts).

Sakuno hummed softly, gasping a little when Ryoma reached up to grab her wrists, a little smirk at the corner of his mouth. She blushed, but Sakuno didn't turn away and just smiled at him. She was trying to work on her timidity, to ensure she wouldn't get flustered and say exactly the wrong things around reporters and paparazzi. She could end up damaging Ryoma's reputation, not to mention her own. Being something of a celebrity was a very vexing lifestyle. Sakuno only hoped she could live it without locking herself away in her house forever.

"Sakuno." Ryoma said, sitting up. He spun around, facing Sakuno and pulling her closer to her. Sakuno shrieked a little, her head and arms landing on his chest lightly. She blushed, smiling and snuggling into Ryoma. This was certainly a change, but she wasn't going to complain! Ryoma fingered one of her braids, frowning a little. "Oyaji wants me to go somewhere after school today. Tag along?" He asked. Sakuno looked up with slight puzzlement.

"Are you sure its okay?" Sakuno asked, and Ryoma shrugged. She grinned, thinking to herself that she should've seen that coming. Of course Ryoma wouldn't care if his dad wanted him to bring Sakuno or not; he'd do it anyway. So Sakuno nodded and nothing more was said between the two of them.

* * *

Sakuno sighed, watching Ryoma choking his father on the ground. They were in a studio, the people behind them setting up a background and a professional looking camera with big lights. A clothing rack was close by with a vanity, some of the make-up and hair artists checking over equipment. The camera crew was checking lighting and other technical picture-taking specifics, and Ryoma's manager Ukitake Noboru was talking with the representative of the ponta company about Ryoma's photo shoot.

Yes, you heard me right, a _photo shoot_.

I'm sure you can imagine how angry Ryoma was when he found out.

"_OYAJI!!_"

Sakuno, finally exasperated with her boyfriend slowly killing his own father (as stupid as said father was), pulled Ryoma off of Nanjiroh and calmed him down by placing her hand on his chest and whispering in his ear to calm down. Ryoma, still disgruntled, wound an arm around Sakuno's waist and growled low under his breath. Sakuno pinched his shoulder, getting the animalistic sound to stop. Sakuno led him away to the clothing rack, where she handed him off to the stylists there. He looked uncomfortable when they started to sift through clothes and check his face for imperfections to cover with make-up. Sakuno just smiled a little, stepping back and watching Ryoma getting ready for the photo shoot.

"Sorry about this Sakuno-chan." Nanjiroh said, coming up behind her. "Noboru-kun was getting impatient, and Ryoma needs to break into the industry sooner or later." Sakuno smiled bitterly, looking up at the ex-pro tennis player. Her hands twisted in anxiety in front of her.

"I saw it coming." Sakuno said softly. "I braced myself for it too, but sometimes that's not enough. Ryoma was born to stand in the spotlight." Nanjiroh smirked a little, nodding at the truth of her words.

"Damn straight! He's my son." The samurai exclaimed, before clapping a hand on Sakuno's shoulder and walking away to talk to Noboru. Sakuno smiled again, but this time she covered it by lowering her head to look at the ground.

"And I was born to stay in the shadows."

* * *

Sakuno huffed, brushing her bangs back as she stood in the corner of the large room. Ryoma had another photo shoot today, and had dragged Sakuno along with him, even with Noboru's protests. Not knowing anything about photo shoots, and a naturally shy girl, Sakuno merely satisfied herself with watching her boyfriend grumble and groan about being forced into uncomfortable clothing and posing in strange positions. She giggled a little; blushing slightly as she sifted through the official pictures of every photo Ryoma had taken since breaking out into the model industry.

It always astounded her how handsome he looked in all those clothes he was forced into. Ryoma may have complained about it non-stop, but Sakuno was secretly grateful for them. He had cast aside every photo that was given to him for every picture he took, but Sakuno gathered them up and put them in a scrapbook. Ryoma thought she was being ridiculous, but Sakuno ignored him and continued doing so. She couldn't help it. Her boyfriend was _damn hot_.

She always passed by clusters of girls in school, squealing over the latest Ryoma photo that they found plastered on a magazine or took a shot of off a billboard. Sakuno secretly stewed in her triumph, having clear, glossy and original photos of them all and getting to look at them everyday. Ryoma just scoffed, muttering under his breath about girls and continuing to walk along.

Sometimes the girls actually heard him, and they giggled about his aloofness, the cocky, cold shoulder attitude he had. All of them went gaga over his ice-cold personality. Sakuno just smiled quietly under her hair. They didn't know the _half _of it.

They didn't know the soft smiles he reserved only for her, the jealous looks he was prone to having in private when Sakuno discussed with him about a male partner for a project she had. They didn't know the smouldering golden eyes she was seeing quite frequently when Ryoma felt like kissing her senseless. They didn't know the embarrassed flush that spread across his face when his father did something particularly mortifying. They didn't know the panicked, pained expression his face took on when she almost ran into a car. They didn't know the rare, genuine smile that spread across his entire face and didn't leave until someone interrupted the two of them in private.

They didn't know _him_. And for that, Sakuno was extremely grateful.

Sighing, Sakuno shook those thoughts away and focused on Ryoma, pouting as the make-up artist was trying (and failing) to get him to retain a normal expression. With a little giggle escaping her lips, Sakuno dusted the imaginary dirt from her skirt (from leaning against the wall) and made her way over to Ryoma. He saw her coming, and his face lightened up, making her laugh softly.

"Ryoma." Sakuno called his name, coming closer. The make-up artist seemed a little surprised at Sakuno's familiarity with Ryoma, but politely stepped aside when she saw Ryoma's face relax. There was a peculiar expression on her face, one that Sakuno was seeing quite often. It was that look of, "_you _are actually associated with _THE _Echizen Ryoma?" Sakuno just ignored it, coming forward to be lightly pecked on the lips by her boyfriend.

That struck that expression of, "_YOU'RE _his _GIRLFRIEND?!_"

Sakuno ignored that too.

"Stop frowning," Sakuno admonished lightly, tapping his nose with a smile. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave, right?" Ryoma let a large breath exhale through his mouth, but he settled a little more comfortably into the chair and maintained a cool expression (the one he always wore during photo shoots). The make-up artist sighed in relief, thanking Sakuno and getting straight to work. They were running a little behind.

Stepping back, Sakuno began to retreat to her little corner once more, until Ryoma's outstretched hand grabbed her wrist and forced her to stay beside him. She raised a brow at him, but he just squeezed her hand in reply. Sakuno giggled.

* * *

Oh this was good.

_Too_ good.

Yamashiro Aimi stood smirking in absolute victory in the doorway of the studio, her keen eyes picking up on Seigaku's esteemed couple in the corner. The gorgeous Echizen Ryoma was getting his make-up done, while his plain and totally dull girlfriend Ryuzaki Sakuno was standing beside him looking mighty uncomfortable. From the way Sakuno was acting (shy and reserved like always), Aimi concluded they probably didn't know what the photo shoot that day entailed, which only made her amusement grow.

It was like a golden opportunity, and Aimi would milk it for all it was worth

* * *

Ryoma was a little disgruntled, trying to keep as still as possible. The make-up artist was brushing his face with some weird padded cotton, smoothing it all over his face. His gaze flickered over to Sakuno standing beside him as he held her hand. She was watching the woman with something akin to fascination, before catching his eyes and smiling sheepishly. Ryoma let a corner of his mouth curl up.

His gaze flickered around the room, catching sight of some person walk through the doors and get pulled away to another part of the studio. He didn't think too much of it, getting tugged to another part of the studio to put his clothes on. Unlike all his other photo shoots, this one was simply a pair of black pants (form fitting ones) and a white collared shirt that he was instructed to keep as wide open as he could.

Sakuno was watching nearby, Ryoma seeing the little blush on her face. He smirked a little again, ambling over to her and giving her a swift kiss on the lips. She uttered a noise of objection, but that quickly stopped when he reached up to brush a sensitive spot on her neck. Ryoma backed away when he heard the person in charge of the photo shoot shout for everyone to take their places. Ryoma saw the person from earlier emerge in a simple white tank top and a short black pleated skirt. Both she and Ryoma wore no shoes.

Vaguely, Ryoma heard Sakuno gasp in shock beside him, but for reasons he never truly understood.

* * *

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, no. This was _not _happening.

Across the room, Aimi's lips curled into a victorious sneer as she met Sakuno's eyes.

It was happening.

Sakuno couldn't move another step, watching Ryoma and Aimi gather in front of the many plants stationed before the backdrop. She vaguely heard the director saying something about turning the water on, and Sakuno's heart nearly exploded when she realized they were dousing Aimi and Ryoma with water, soaking them to the bone and making their clothes _see through_.

With a mortified, yet muffled squeak, Sakuno saw the smug grin on Aimi's face as her light pink bra exposed itself through her clothes, her loose hair drenched and sticking to her neck and face. Her make-up still remained, and Sakuno quivered as she compared Aimi's dripping, sexy wet frame to her own dull sense of fashion and childish pigtails. Even as she looked over to Ryoma's figure, Sakuno couldn't feel better about herself about having such a handsome boyfriend, only worse. His wet black locks were flattened around his head, a few strands sticking to his face, facial expression obviously showing discomfort. The white shirt he wore was completely transparent now, not that there was much of a difference since he exposed most of his bare chest when he was dry.

Sakuno gulped, and turned to look away when she heard the photo shoot director shouting orders to Ryoma and Aimi.

"Okay guys, I want a nice, intimate atmosphere."

* * *

Aimi wanted to tear her hair out.

No, never mind. Her hair was _much _too beautiful and worshipped to be torn out. Aimi wanted to tear that _Ryuzaki Sakuno's _hair out instead! I mean, even though she didn't do anything to cause Aimi's anger, she still has lots of long hair! Surely she wouldn't miss them too much.

Growling, Aimi threw her hands up in the air (and off of Ryoma's bare glistening chest) to stalk back to her chair, plopping down in it and promptly turning to Hiroshi, her loud voice carrying over the entire studio.

"I can't _work _under these conditions! How am I supposed to debut my first risqué advertisement if my _partner_ looks at me like I'm _chopped liver_?!" She shrieked, Hiroshi wincing at the sheer volume of her voice. Sakuno could hear the director sighing and quietly discussing with the photographer before they announced a five-minute break. Sakuno hurried over to Ryoma, who was still dripping wet and not allowed to towel off. She didn't seem to notice the director coming over to talk to Ryoma, or that he could hear their conversation perfectly.

"Ryoma, are you okay?" She asked anxiously, her fingers itching to go snatch a towel up and try to dry him off. Ryoma shrugged, obviously not in a state of disarray like Aimi was on the other side of the room. He merely grabbed her arm and tugged her forward, trying to wind his arms around her. Sakuno squeaked, pressing her hands on his slippery chest and flushing a bright red. "Ryoma, no! You'll get me wet too." She told him. Ryoma blinked, but then smirked devilishly. Sakuno gulped.

"So?" He scoffed, using his superior strength to press her dry body to his wet one, giving her a deep kiss. Sakuno's protests fell on dead ears, and she quickly melted into his touch. Pulling back, Sakuno grimaced at the wet spots now staining the front of her shirt. Ryoma just laughed, his face lighting up as he kissed her nose affectionately. "They'll dry." He stated, Sakuno making a dirty face at him for saying that.

"Echizen-san."

The two turned to attention, looking at the director that stood facing them now, his lips quirked up in a grin. Sakuno flushes, trying to untangle herself from Ryoma, but finding she could not because of his iron-tight grip on her.

"What?" Ryoma asked, his face schooled into his customary stoic expression. Sakuno gave up trying to escape Ryoma's arms and merely ducked her head into his neck, hoping to hide her red cheeks. She could still hear everything the two were saying, not surprised at how the director brought up Ryoma's nonexistent facial expressions. She could almost see his pout in her head; disgruntled that someone would think he was like a robot or something. "So what do you want me to do about it?" Sakuno heard Ryoma ask, a little annoyed. The director chuckled, and Sakuno peeked out to look at him shaking his head.

"Nothing at all, Echizen-san. But I _will _need to ask if I may borrow your girlfriend."

Instinctively, Ryoma's arms tightened around Sakuno, who couldn't help but gasp slightly. His eyes narrowed into a glare, lips taut in a thin line. "What for?" He demanded. The director put his hands up, trying to quell the protectiveness in Ryoma's eyes. A slightly nervous smile was on his face.

"We merely wish to replace Aimi with her."

Sakuno's head came up, mouth dropping open in shock.

"_What?_"

They all turned to see Aimi's whitened face of shock, still drenched in water and dripping all over the place. Quickly, in a split second, her face reddened with anger and Sakuno couldn't help but want to cover her ears.

"_Replace me?_ With of _all _people, that **_PITEOUS _**creature?! You must be INSANE!" She screeched, Sakuno meekly bowing her head when she heard Aimi call her piteous. "This is an OUTRAGE! _I _am a professional, veteran model and you're going to _replace _me with some… some… **amateur**?!" She paused for a second there, shaking her head. "No. No, not even an _amateur_. A **_newbie_**, who doesn't know the _first thing_ about modelling." With an angry growl, Aimi snapped her fingers and snatched the towel Hiroshi brought her. "Well, if you're going to just flick me out of the picture, than you can kiss the money you used to pay me GOOD. BYE."

With a sharp turn, Aimi stomped back over to her casual clothes and began to dry off, intent of getting out of there as soon as possible. The director seemed unfazed, turning back to Ryoma and Sakuno after Aimi finished her tirade. A bright smile spread across his face.

"Well then… shall we?"

The Ryuzaki refused totally at first, but she slowly took into account what they had to give up just for her help. A professional model, and the large amount of money they must've had to pay her. Sakuno blushed to the roots of her hair, gulping as she hesitantly left Ryoma's arms. She bowed to the director in respect.

"My name is Ryuzaki Sakuno." She said. The director smiled and bobbed his head at her.

"It's very nice to meet you Ryuzaki-san."

Sakuno shifted nervously on the spot, twiddling with her fingers until she gathered the courage to look into the director's eyes with a determined gleam.

"Um, sir?" He gave a nod to indicate he was listening. "Why me?" He chuckled a bit, winking.

"You'll see, Ryuzaki-san."

* * *

"Okay Echizen-san, I want you to look at Ryuzaki-san like she is the most beautiful woman in the world!" Sakuno heard the director call at the two of them. Sakuno looked up at Ryoma, getting embarrassed at staring at him when other people were watching (and taking pictures!). She ducked her head down, flushing. It surprised her a little when Ryoma's finger hooked under her chin, carefully angling her face back to looking at his, leaning forward to kiss her. She pulled back, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.

"Ryoma!" She hissed, gasping when he reached forward to tug her back to him again. His bare chest was warm under her palms, and Sakuno retracted her hands to cross them over her chest. She was wearing what Aimi wore for the photo shoot, and was very embarrassed at the thought of people taking pictures of her visible bra. The skirt was really short too, not making her feel any better. Ryoma's hands encircled her wrists, pulling her arms away from her chest. He leaned forward, kissing her temple gently.

"You're beautiful just the way you are." He said to her, sliding his hands up to entangle his fingers in her wet locks. One of his hands gripped the back of her head, angling her face upwards so his lips could reach hers. Tears began to slip out of Sakuno's eyes as she pulled back and turned head away.

"Liar." She muttered. Ryoma's eyes narrowed. He pressed another kiss to her exposed neck, making her breath hitch. Her hands gripped his black hair more tightly. Ryoma let his arms travel down to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. His lips traveled up to her ear, and his hot breath fanned over her sensitised skin.

"Why don't you get it?" Ryoma asked, his voice so exhausted that Sakuno felt her eyes widen and her heart pang. He sounded like he had been defeated, and Ryoma was _never _anything but a winner. "There's no one but you; there will never be anyone but you." Sakuno choked on her sobs, her hands migrating to his shoulders and clutching them in a death-grip.

"You say that now…" Her voice trailed off, and she was surprised when Ryoma wrenched back from her, his eyes blazing furiously. His grip on her shoulders was so tight it almost went to the point of hurting.

"_No one._" Ryoma said, his voice firm and confident, like it always was. Sakuno turned her face away again.

"B-but… but I'm not _good enough_. Ryoma is so much better than I am! I could never possibly equal him… not ever." And she broke down, crumpling to the floor.

Ryoma knelt down, letting his fingers dance through her hair, down to her shoulders before shifting directions and taking hold of her face again. His lips brushed her forehead, her cheeks, before he pulled back and smirked that cocky smirk everyone knew him so well for.

"You call this not equal?" Ryoma asked, sweeping his hand across the entire studio. Sakuno turned to the direction he gestured to, seeing the photography crew still working with lights and the photographer peeking out from his camera to give them a "what are you doing?" look. The director stood behind him, waving and winking at Sakuno. His hands made a little shooing motion, as if telling them to continue with the photo shoot. Her heart fluttered ever so gently as she turned back to look at Ryoma still smirking at her.

"B-but… the magazines…"

Ryoma reached forward, placing a finger on her lips. He leaned in, breath fanning over her ear. Sakuno shivered.

"Trust me."

And she did.

* * *

The picture was used in a perfume advertisement that was displayed on a giant billboard in many of the major bustling intersections in Tokyo. Sakuno was so embarrassed when she first saw it, and almost died after hearing a couple of girls pass by and remark on how cute the two looked together. Tomoka almost didn't recognize her until she repeatedly looked at the picture in a magazine and Sakuno's own flushing face.

During school, as another group of girls passed by her and Ryoma (both of them miraculously remaining unnoticed), she once again heard the gushing comments of Ryoma and the envious observations of Sakuno's beauty.

Sakuno blushed to the roots of her hair and Ryoma just smirked.

* * *

"Tomo-chan… what are you doing?" Sakuno asked, sweat dropping from her head as she watched her best friend attack the magazine with a pair of sharp scissors. The fanatic Ryoma fangirl had a gleam in her eyes that resembled something very sinister and evil as she cut away at yet another advertisement of Ryoma and Sakuno together.

Since debuting with her tennis prince, Sakuno's identity didn't take too long to be found out and she was suddenly the envy of every girl that walked past her, not because she was hanging off Echizen Ryoma's arm, but rather because of the pretty face she hid behind long pigtails and girlish flower clips. Several agents floundered to her with speeches of fame and fortune, but were all waved away by Ryoma and his father, Echizen Nanjiroh. The samurai refused to let anyone manage his future daughter-in-law's career except him.

And when he said "him", he really meant Noboru.

As Tomoka cackled gleefully, Sakuno started to get a little nervous when she saw her best friend open a scrapbook and start gluing it onto a page. "Can't you see, Sakuno-chan?" Tomoka asked, grinning. "I'm making you, and me, a scrapbook to remember all the fun times you had with Ryoma-sama before he leaves!" Sakuno smiled slightly at her friend's enthusiasm… until the comment really registered in her brain.

"Wait… leave?"

Tomoka looked up, a little confused.

"Yeah. You know, for America."

Sakuno's heart came crashing down. She couldn't believe she _forgot_.

Ryoma was leaving after he finished high school.

* * *

"Sorry for intruding." Sakuno stated automatically as she entered the Echizen household. There was a glazed, faraway look to her eyes that made all of the inhabitants of the temple wonder what was wrong with her. Ryoma came tromping down the stairs and saw his girlfriends strange behaviour, but didn't say anything yet. He would rather not have a heart-to-heart when his old man was standing right there.

Without saying a word to any of them, Ryoma slipped on his shoes, grabbed his wallet and his house keys to stuff them in his pocket and adjusted the white Fila cap on his head before turning to Sakuno.

"Okay, let's go." He said, bidding his parents, his cousin, and Karupin farewell until later on. The night sky was dark, and he was a bit curious as to why Sakuno called him out so late, despite being a weekend. She had always been very wary of traveling around at night time, but he paid it no heed for the moment and merely grasped her hand in his larger one. "So where to?" he asked. Sakuno mutely led him along.

They went onto the bus, where they transferred into a subway station and took a couple of stops from Ryoma's house. Sakuno dragged him out of the station and began walking in a random direction (or so Ryoma thought). It wasn't until they stopped in front of a mildly large building that Ryoma managed to choke on thin air.

It was a love hotel.

"Sakuno…" He said, taking a step back only to see her dead serious eyes staring up at him with something akin to desperation. His body became minutely aware of her much smaller, more delicate one and he tried to stamp down those feelings of desire that stirred in him more often than he would've liked them to.

"Please, Ryoma." Sakuno pleaded, the desperation more pronounced now. The tennis player gulped down the knot in his throat, before he gripped her hand tightly and strode into the front doors. She followed meekly behind, pushing away all the doubts and fears she had while leading him here. Sakuno had an entire trip to change her mind and chicken out, but she wasn't going to. No matter how scary the idea of her first time was going to be.

There was no way in hell anyone but Ryoma would take her virginity.

* * *

"What are you planning to do after high school?" Ryoma asked suddenly as the two of them laid spent on the bed in the love hotel. Sakuno's grip on the blanket tightened, and she gulped as she seriously considered that question.

"I… I don't know. I never really got past the whole celebrity thing." She said, laughing shortly as she recalled the career that was blossoming whether or not she wanted it to. After Ryoma leaves, Sakuno was going to retire from modelling permanently. Not only did she think she would've be able to take the pressure, the memories of posing in front of a camera would dredge up too many memories of their time together.

Ryoma hummed, ruffling his unkempt black hair. "In America it'll be really troublesome. I can just imagine all the paparazzi and tabloids and _Kami_ the fangirls!" He said, not quite noticing that Sakuno's eyes went misty all of a sudden at the mention of America. Ryoma's arm, swung over Sakuno's waist, was playing with the edge of the blanket as she looked up to the ceiling and avoiding Sakuno's eyes. "But maybe… they'll back off once they realize I have a girlfriend." Sakuno smiled bitterly.

"They won't care once they realize she's several thousand miles away." Ryoma closed his eyes, his arm tightening around her lithe form.

"But what if she isn't?"

Sakuno snorted, opening her mouth to say, "Like that'll matter much. If American fangirls are like… Japanese… fangirls…" Her jaw went slack as she realized the implications of his suggestion. "Ryoma… you couldn't possibly-," His arm disappeared, and the tennis star was suddenly turned towards her, eyes golden eyes blazing like twin suns.

"Follow me."

It wasn't a request, it was a command. And Sakuno couldn't help but smile at Ryoma's peculiar way of showing affection. Most girls would find it rude and obnoxious, but Sakuno wouldn't have it any other way. She wouldn't have _him _any other way.

"To the ends of the earth, Ryoma."

* * *

"I feel like I'm giving you away at your wedding." Sumire sniffled, dabbing the pockets under her eyes as she watched her granddaughter's face flush in embarrassment.

"Obaa-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed, before smiling and hugging her. "Please don't say things like that. Ryoma might get," here, her voice dropped to a whisper, "_ideas_." The old coach just laughed in between sniffles, hugging the younger Ryuzaki and kissing her forehead much like she did when Sakuno was very young.

"Well make sure you don't make me a great-grandmother anytime soon, alright?" Sumire said sternly, the face that probably would've looked menacing if not for the trails of tears. Sakuno flushed, exclaiming, "Obaa-chan!!" once more in mortification. Sumire laughed, patting the girl's head before her face actually turned ominous. "I'm serious."

"Don't get your knickers in a knot old hag." Nanjiroh drawled, clubbing his son at the back of his head and smirking. "He may be my son but he sure as hell has more sense than I do." Here, Nanjiroh grinned wickedly. "And anyways, with my watching him twenty-four seven, you can guarantee all those little romps they're going to have will be caught on my brand new camcorder and uploaded on the internet for all to see!" Ryoma flushed bright red in anger, fists clenching together.

"OYAJI!"

Nanjiroh walked away, snorting in laughter as he left Ryoma and Sakuno blushing red to the roots of their hair.

"SAKUNO-CHAN DON'T FORGET ME!!" Tomoka cried, biting a handkerchief that Horio gave her. They had gotten together sometime around graduation, and though the road was still a little bumpy, Sakuno was sure the two of them had something special; something that would last. The two best friends hugged and exchanged condolences and promised to write; all that good stuff. All his old team members and friends smothered Ryoma, and though he seemed disgruntled at the attention Sakuno knew he was secretly treasuring every moment.

After finally getting away from his rabid senpai and straightening out his rustled clothes, Ryoma held a hand out to Sakuno, the trademark cocky smirk gracing his lips. As her hand reached out to entwine with his, a soft smile touched her lips.

"Let's go Sakuno."

"Right!"

* * *

The alarm clock buzzed loudly, the flashing red digital numbers spelling out, "7:30am". A slim, dainty hand reached out to slap the offending sound. Poking out of the light pink covers of the bed was a head of tangled brown hair and bleary caramel eyes. Ryuzaki Sakuno was barely able to register the time as quickly as she did, before gasping in shock and flying out of bed. A paper on her desk fluttered to the floor from eating her dust, and the calendar across from the desk had one particular date circled in red marker. Her grandmother from the floor below had already called out to her when she ran across the hall to get to the bathroom.

"Sakuno! Your first day of third year isn't going to wait for you to get ready!"

For a split second her entire body froze and she replayed that same sentence over and over again in her head. She could've sworn…

Shaking her head to rid herself of that strange feeling, Sakuno swiftly entered the bathroom and closed the door, wondering absentmindedly if anything interesting was going to happen today.

* * *

**OWARI**

_

* * *

A/N _Yes, I know I'm evil. Making you wait for two and half months wasn't exactly the smartest thing I've ever done, but I didn't want to half-ass the last drabble (if you can call it that anymore). This is the final drabble I'm doing for this collection and I wanted it to be special, so there was no way I wasn't going to put one hundred percent into it. Again, sorry about making you wait long. I hope the quality _and _quantity of this chapter makes up for it!

As a last note, thank you to everyone who stuck it out with me to the end. I'm so happy you've all taken the time to review my drabbles, and I'm so happy they brought a little bit of joy (or sadness) to your day. You have no idea how much it means to me to be able to affect people with my writing. I was a little sceptical about doing a collection of drabbles at first, I'll admit, but the support all of you have given me has encouraged me to someday write another collection of drabbles. Key word: _someday_. I have way too many projects to even be considering one right now, I'll admit. Maybe when I find inspiration, or maybe when I find free time. One or the other, but once again,

THANK YOU MINNA-SAN!

Snowflake Flower


End file.
